



.i^L^ 







<-je. 



Mother Caroline's usual form of closing her letters to the Sisters. 



Venerable Mother 

M. CAROLINE FRIESS, 

First Commissary General of the School Sisters 
of ISTotre Dame in America. 



A Sketch of her Life andCharacter 

Pni-iBBEL'EN, 

Spiritual Director of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. 



Author I ZKD Transi^ation. /^^ a>/Ric^ ^^^v 









With an Intro dnction ^. the ^^--^.^^JVAM^^ j 

ET. KEY. jfLf^PALDIINa^D.D., T^S'^'^7'~ J . 



Bishop of Peoria. 



The proceeds are to be appropriated for the Chapel of Perpetual 
Adoration in the Motherhouse at Milwaukee. 



ST. I^OUIS, MO.: 

Published by B. HARDER, 
17 South Broadwaj^ 

1893. 



^^'<1 



6 



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*t9A I4BRART 

OP CosGRvas 



WASHIIiOTOM 



Copyright, 1893, by Jos. Gummersbach. 



INTRODUCTION. 



IT is impossible to take even a glance at the 
Catholic Church, in the United States, without 
being struck by the work its religious Sisterhoods 
ere doing. In one or two Protestant denominations 
there are a few communities of religious women, 
l>ut in the Catholic Church alone do we find an 
army of women, organized into companies and 
regiments, bearing different names and having each 
its own leader, yet all enlisted under the banner of 
Christ, to watch and pray, to do and suffer for the 
good of all. From many thousand homes they 
have gone forth, turning away from the flattering 

awn of life, from all its bewildering promises of 
an earthly paradise, which, for each one, somewhere 
lies hidden, leaving behind them gloom and weeping 
friends and a sense of irreparable loss, — leaving 
their very names, the symbols of their identity, 
behind them; and now they are ministering in 
hospitals, passing from ward to ward, like a breath 
of air, that comes laden with balm, fresh from a world 
of light and health, — serving in asylums for the 
^oung and the old, mothers whom Christ has sent 
the helpless orx3hanage of childhood and to the 
sadder orphanhood of old age ; toiling in innumer- 
able schools into whic they carry, together with 
the teacher's knowledge and skill, the spirit of 

finement and the power of religion. Like all the 
best and noblest, they work without a thought of 
what the world may say of them. Their good 
deeds they tell not even to God. When they are 
praised, it is in a general way, with little application 

(3) 



4 INTRODUCTION. 

to the individual. So many Sisters, it is said, "wh-: 
went to the succor of the pest-stricken, fell victims 
to the contagion. On the slabs that mark their 
graves, there is no word to suggest ties of home or 
kindred or relationship of any kind with the great 
world. They were but living forms of patience and 
service, of purity and love. What matter where 
their cradles stood, amid what scenes they grew, 
what arms held them or what lips kissed their 
virginal brows'? They came from God, they minis- 
tered to human needs and sufferings, they returned 
to God. This is the sum of their life's story; 
this is all they cared to know of themselves ; this 
is all we need know of them. But though they 
would hide themselves with Christ in God, the 
divine beauty and power of their lives can not be 
hidden from men. They are permanently interesting, 
as Vi^hoever makes the supreme act of perfect self- 
sacrifice, is enteresting. As we find ourselves in 
abandoning ourselves for wife and children, for God 
and country, for truth and honor, so do they, in 
leaving all, find a nobler and sweeter life. They 
become representatives of the highest devotion, 
the purest love and the most beneficent sympathies 
of the great human heart. They are the heroines 
of the service of humanity, priestesses who kindle 
and keep alive the fire of divine Charity which 
Christ brought into the world. In their youth they 
drank at the fountain which quenches thirst forever ; 
in the freshness of their spring time bloom, they 
saw through the veil that hides or blurs the image 
of the Eternal, and, ever after, they walk waiting 
for God. Since religion in its deepest sense, is a 



INTRODUCTION. 5 

life rather than a doctrine , I find in our Sisterhoods 
an argument for the truth of the Catholic faith, 
whose force seems to render all our controversies, 
apologies and schemes of edification, more or less, 
idle and ineffective. Words are supposed to be 
woman's world, and work man's; but here the 
reverse is true. The women work in silence, the 
men make the noise. It is these silent armies, 
moving in obedience to the low whispers of Unseen 
Masters, which make us invincible. So long as 
generation after generation, tens of thousands of 
the purest and gentlest hearts find that the love of 
Christ constrains them, Christ lives and rules. 
This is the marvellous thing by which some of the 
greatest minds have been impressed. Heroes, 
poets and orators grow to be themes for declama- 
tion or criticism ; but the purest and the best follow 
close to Christ, and devote themselves to Him with 
a sense of personal love as strong as that of a 
mother for her child. They who know our Catholic 
Sisterhoods most thoroughly, best know that this is 
simple truth. The lives of these unselfish, pure 
and gentle-hearted women bear witness to the 
divinity and power of Christ with a force and 
eloquence which words cannot express. In the 
midst of weakness they are strong ; in the midst of 
trouble, they are calm; in the presence of death 
they are cheerful. They are rich enough, though 
poor; happy enough, though beset by trials. In 
solitude, they are full of peace ; far from the world, 
their own thoughts keep them company ; forgotten 
of men, they are at home with God. There is 
about them the serene air of immortal things ; they 



6 INTRODUCTION. 

have the perfect assurance that it is well with them, 
whatever may lie beyond the mystery of life and 
death. They may have little share in the scientific 
or material progress of the age, but they are a 
social and religious influence of the first importance. 
They represent, as no others do, the supremacy of 
will over instinct, of love over passion. The per- 
fect Chastity of thought and desire by which they 
are distinguished, is a mother- virtue — the source 
of health and vigor of mind and soul. In countless 
homes into which an unclean spirit could not enter 
and live, the mothers have received their exalted 
faith in the priceless worth of purity from the lips 
and hearts of nuns. In thousands of parishes the 
light of Catholic truth and practice shines from the 
convent with a more persuasive and unremitting 
glow than from the pulpit. Eeligious prejudice 
itself, narrow and obdurate, ready almost to hate 
the good it is forced to see in those whose creed it 
abhors, can not long withstand the test of contact 
with these simple, holy and true-hearted women. 
They have friends in every soldier who has seen 
them among the wounded, in every laborer who has 
known them in the hospital wards. Some years 
ago in company with a Catholic Clergyman, I was 
walking on the wharf at Duluth waiting for the 
arrival of the boat on which we were to sail. As 
we sauntered along, we fell into conversation with 
a man who api)eared to be there for the same pur- 
pose as ourselves. We spoke of the vast tracts of 
fertile lands in the "West which were still to be had 
for a dollar or two an acre, and, as the stranger 
informed us, he was a wanderer who had worked 



INTEODUCTIOX. 7 

in many places, but had saved little or nothing, we 
suggested the wisdom of taking a farm in one of 
the colonies we were organizing. No, he replied, 
he would not accept a farm as a gift ; he had but 
little, but felt confident he would ndt die of want : 
which was enough, as there was no one to whom he 
cared to leave anything. Leave something to build 
a church, my companion suggested. No, he again 
answered, nothing to churches; but, if I should 
happen to die possessed of anything, I would leave 
it to the Sisters: they are noble women and do 
God's work. Now, this man, who probably had 
little religious faith, but had lived in many places, 
with many kinds of men, whose experience led 
him to mistrust men, had no doubt whatever of the 
purity and goodness of the Catholic Sisters. He is 
one of the multitude who have drifted away from 
all churches, who have little sympathy with the 
ministers of religion, who take no interest in their 
disputes and rivalries, but who, nevertheless, feel 
a sense of reverence, almost of devoutness, at the 
thought of the army of consecrated women, who 
are the voluntary servants of the poor and the 
sinful, who, more than all others, make the love 
and pity of Christ a living fact in the world to-day. 
I have known Protestant soldiers who fought in 
our Civil War, to threaten, with all manner of 
oaths and imprecations, to deal summary justice 
upon whoever should say a word against the Sisters. 
Their power lies not in the persuasive words of 
human wisdom,^ — not in position or wealth or birth 
or name, but in meekness and patience, in purity 
of heart and righteousness, in unselfish and entire 



8 INTRODUCTION. 

devotion to God and man^ which, as it is the most 
rare, is also the most precions of virtues. 

They, more than others, hearken to the words of 
the Apostle — ^'Follow after love ;'' the love which 
is the fulfilment of the law and which has its home 
in a higher and more enduring world than that in 
which move the passions that perpetuate the race. 
O the wealth of love in a woman's heart! — the 
wife's unconquerable truth and loyalty, the mother's 
tenderness and affection, the bloom and warmth, 
the freshness and fragrance of a virgin's soul when 
the mystic voice first awakens it to conscious life. 
O the countless oratories where hearts are bowed 
in the silent service of a boundless devotion, giving 
all and asking nothing, knowing only that God is 
and that He is love. From the thousand books 
wherein I read that we cannot know anything of 
the infinite mystery, that all is dark and cold and 
meaningless, that faith deceives, that hopes delude 
and love betrays, that religion is but the dream of 
unhappy creatures who awake, for a moment, from 
an eternal sleep and live only long enough to feel 
their hopeless misery, — from all this bleak and 
wintry waste, full of despair and death, I turn to 
the pure hearts of women who love, and again the 
light plays around me, I drink the balmy air, the 
birds sing, the waters leap for joy, the mountains 
lift their heads, I am in God's world and am His 
child. 

So, too, when glancing athwart so many a sad and 
gloomy page of history, I read of schism and heresy, 
of hate and cruelty, of bitter, foolish controversies 
that never end, of pride and ambition, of greed and 



INTRODUCTION. 9 

Ixist, — I think of the army of holy women who have 
followed the Church, like the few who followed 
Christ on the narrow blood-stained path that led to 
Calvary; who watch and wait, who serve and are 
helpful, who work and are silent, 'and I feel that 
the cause which, century after century, thus con- 
strains thousands of the purest and tenderest hearts 
to sacrifice their lives to the highest and most 
unselfish love, is the cause of God, the cause for 
which Christ suffered and died. 

Many of the most important interests of the 
Church are almost entirely in the hands of our 
religious women. They have charge of our orphan 
asylums, our Magdalen asylums, our homes for the 
aged and our hospitals. They are the teachers in 
our parochial schools, and were it not for them, 
few of these schools would have been built, still 
fewer could be carried on. In enabling the bishops 
and priests to found and conduct a system of reli- 
gious schools, they do a work which is indispensable 
to the maintainance and progress of the Church 
itself. It is, indeed, impossible to overestimate the 
value of our Sisterhoods, and whoever helps to 
encourage and strengthen them, defends and 
upbuilds the Church. The biography of one of the 
noblest and best of these religious women, which is 
here presented to the reader, is a work of religion, 
and the author deserves commendation and praise 
for the conscientious and honest manner in which 
he has performed his task. No one can read his 
book without feeling something of the admiration 
and love for Mother Caroline by which the writer 
has been inspired. The simx)le straightforward story 



10 INTRODUCTION. 

he tells is full of interest and it is edifying precisely 
because it is so true and unaffected. He does not 
borrow the ornaments of rhetoric, he deals not in 
the arts of the special pleader, he yields not to the 
enthusiasm of the hero-worshiper. The life he 
describes needs nothing of this. Its charms and 
worth lie in the noble, brave, loving and devoted 
character it informs. Here is a strong, loyal, 
faithful, tender-hearted woman, who, wherever we 
get sight of her, as she lived, spoke and labored, 
wins our sympathy and makes us her friends. She 
is a child of France and of Germany. In her veins 
the blood of the most civilized and the most 
thoughtful nations of the modern world mingles. 
She has the vivacity, the ardor, the quickness and 
daring of the French : she has also the steadfastness, 
the honesty, the perseverance and simplicity 
of the German. Her mother was the daughter of one 
of Xapoleon's army- officers : her father belonged to 
the sturdy Bavarian race from which sprang the 
soldiers who stood in the van in the armies that 
finally overthrew the Kapoleonic dynasty. She was 
born in a suburb of Paris and passed her earliest 
years in the great world-city. When but four or 
five years old, she was taken to Bavaria by her 
parents, who were persuaded to permit the child to 
remain in Donauworth with her uncle, a worthy 
priest whose household was presided over by his 
widowed mother, a devout Catholic of the olden 
time. One day her grandmother took the child to 
the graveyard, and, for the first time, she saw the 
resting place of the dead. For a few moments she 
stood in silence and awe, then with the deepest 



INTRODUCTION. 11 

emotion she exclaimed: ^^all undonej all undone, 
all undone;'' and began to weep and sob. Here 
surely is revealed a tender, deep and sympathetic 
nature. This child soul had dwelled hitherto only 
in the world of living things, the 'light of eternal 
life still played about it, and now suddenly it comes 
upon the realms of death and stands amazed and 
bewildered, that in God's world there should be 
place for the destroyer of life. I well remember the 
first time death came within the circle of those I 
knew and loved. It seemed to me to be an absur- 
dity, an impossibility, a contradiction of the nature 
of things. All, as the world revealed itself to me, 
was life or related to life, and when I was forced to 
«try to reconcile this view with the presence of death, 
I was stunned and stupefied. Now even, after the 
lapse of years, nothing so persuades me of immor- 
tality, as the memory of my earliest thoughts and 
visions, when my soul first emerged from the infinite 
fountain of being, and I looked around and saw 
every where life and love and beauty, and had no 
remotest shadow of doubt, but was certain that it 
all came from God and belonged to God. I am 
persuaded, indeed, that the root of all that is best 
and most enduring in us, is found in those first 
experiences, in the primal attitude of the mind and 
heart towards all things, which, though it is partly 
given in the conditions of our inherited traits, is 
determined in no small degree by the natural and 
human influences which surround our childhood. 
The home is our first school, and the lessons it 
teaches sink deepest and are the last to be forgotten. 
Fortunate are they, who like Mother Caroline, can 



12 INTRODUCTIOK. 

look back to those early years and find in them, as 
they come again to Yiew, all that is sweet and pure, 
genuine and true. Her life in the house of her 
unclCj from the age of four to sixteen, when she 
entered the convent, as a novice, is full of charm. 
This venerable man is a type of so many a priest, 
who to seriousness and a certain rigidity of 
thought and conduct, adds the beauty of childlike 
simplicity and loving thoughtfulness. Priests cer- 
tainly are not without fault, but take them, all in 
all, they are, I think, the most gentle, single-hearted 
and humane of men, and they who have been 
thrown in childhood into intimate contact with a 
true priest never doubt the ennobling and hallowing 
power of religion. Mother Caroline has said that 
on the day of her first Communion^ when her 
uncle spoke the solemn words — Domine non sum 
dignus — she seemed to hear the Blessed Savior 
himself reassuring her, and, when she was near 
death, she asked that her first Communion picture, 
which she had kept through all the years of labors, 
journeyings and trials that separated that fragrant 
ceremony in the German church from the last 
closing of the eyes and folding of the hands in 
Milwaukee, should be buried with her. Eight fitly 
was it laid on that brave and loving heart, a symbol 
of the harmony between the fair promise of her 
girlhood and the rich achievements of her life. She 
was but twelve years old, when kneeling in the 
Capuchin chapel, near Eichstadt, she offered her 
whole life to God in the following prayer : ' 'Mj 
Jesus, I will be thine : I consecrate to Thee the 
purity of my soul and the chastity of my body. ' ' 



IXTEODUCTION. 13 

However willful and fond of the pleasant things of 
life she might appear to be, she was already con- 
scious of her high calling, and no opposition or 
allurement had power to make her waver in her 
resolution to become a nun. There' is a mystery in 
a true vocation to a religious life. Once the whisper- 
ings of the divine voice are heard, we follow blindly 
and leave, almost without regret, all that is dearest, 
led by the invisible attraction of a deeper truth and 
love. This persuasiveness of the inner voice, 
pleading for the Christian ideal, is felt by thousands, 
and when Mother Caroline, at the age of sixteen, 
gave herself without reserve to the service of the 
young and the poor whom Christ loved, she became 
one of an innumerable multitude of witnesses to 
the overmastering charm of a life of purity, poverty 
and obedience. Like all highly endowed natures, 
she was rich in capacity for enjoyment : she was in 
love with life, with all glad and happy things, and 
so tenacious of her liberty, that she obstinately 
refused to yield to her uncle's desire that she should 
enter a boarding school; but now that the inner 
voice has spoken, she renounces her own will and 
turns resolutely to follow the Savior in the service 
of man. She had not been long in the If o vitiate of 
the School Sisters of Kotre Dame, when her health 
began to fail. When her confessor said to her: 
Caroline, you will have to die — she replied : but I 
do not intend to die. She seemed to know, as so 
many whom God has called to special works, have 
vaguely known that years of labors and trials 
awaited her, before she could receive her reward 
Once, like St. Aloysius, she had longed to die 



14 INTRODUCTION. 

young ; but now, her will was for life, that, like St. 
Ignatius, she might live for others, though her own 
soul should be risked in the venture. It happened 
as she foresaw. Sentence of early death had not 
been passed upon her more than two years, when 
her feet were on the soil of America, where she was 
destined to do memorable things. She was but 
twenty-three years old when she landed in the Kew 
World, with the first band of School Sisters of Kotre 
Dame, and but twenty -six, when she was made 
Vicar General of the Order. In spite of her youth 
and inexperience she seemed at once to understand 
the work her Sisters were called to do, and her 
courage and capacity for business were equal to her 
intelligence. How poor, helpless and insignificant 
does she not appear to be when, in 1850, she arrives 
with her little band in Milwaukee, and settles on 
the bleak hill with its wide outlook over the waters 
of Lake Michigan. What had she but a clear 
mind, a brave heart, a pure conscience and trust in 
God^ But the great wonder-workers have been no 
better equipped ; she began to work and to endure, 
and, in a few years, a Convent arose from the brow 
of St. Mary's Hill, to which thousands of tender, 
loving souls were to flock, like birds that turn from 
wintry skies to seek fairer lands. After forty years 
of prayer and labor, she had the consolation to 
know, as she sank to rest, that more than two 
thousand Sisters, scattered through seventeen states 
and thirty dioceses, as the teachers of seventy 
thousand children, and the watchful guardians of 
fifteen hundred orphans, looked to her as their 
mother. Facts, like these, make words superfluous. 



INTEODUCTION. 15 

This prosperity was, doubtless, made possible by 
the rapid developemeiit of the American Eepublic 
and especially of the North- West. Where the spirit 
of progress is in the air, and things seem to move 
forward almost of themselves, energetic and brave 
men and women are in a world in which what they 
say is possible, many stand ready to help thiem 
accomplish. It is easy to say there is no necessary 
man or woman, but take a few thousand lives from 
the world's history, and how unprofitable, barren 
and uninteresting, it all would become. Had Mother 
Caroline never come to the United States, who will 
affirm that much that is best in many of our Western 
dioceses would be altogether what it is^ She was 
the soul of the first band of German School Sisters 
who came to this country, and the ease and success 
with which she provided for parochial schools even 
in poor and remote places, became a source of 
courage and confidence for all who believed in the 
necessity of religious education. Her services in 
behalf of Catholic schools are thus of inestimable 
value, and without parish schools there is no hope 
that the Church will be able to maintain itself in 
America. Our Parish School System is now a 
permanent fact ; it grows from year to year ; the 
teachers are becoming more efficient ; new schools 
are founded, and opiDOsition unites all true Catholics 
in a more invincible determination, to maintain, at 
whatever cost, the cause of religious education. 
If any one should have misgivings as to our success, 
let him but consider what our Sisterhoods have done 
and are doing. A bishop h^s but to give three or 
four of these women permission to found an asylum, 



16 INTRODUCTION. 

or a hospital or to open a school, and the work is 
done. From the German Catholic Sisters, especially, 
we have learned to know what miracles labor, 
economy and perseverance make possible. The 
growth of the Church in the United States, as that 
of the country itself, is due to the co-operation of 
many races, and if this commingling of heterogene- 
ous elements has its disadvantages, it is, on the 
other hand, productive of good. A strong people 
is more impressed by the qualities than by the 
defects of those with whom it is thrown into contact, 
and the presence of many races here will teach us a 
more comprehensive wisdom, a broader tolerance, 
a wider sympathy. Here, for the first time, the 
selfishness, the hardness and narrowness of nation- 
alism, shall cease to exist. As we give to each in- 
dividual the largest liberty compatible with the 
rights of others, so we hold that immigrants from 
whatever part of the world, have the right to main- 
tain their customs, languages and religious practices , 
since, to be a true citizen of a country such as this, 
it is only necessary to be a good man, a lover of 
liberty and a foe of injustice. The best are slowest 
to abandon the old ways, and they who are most 
faithful to the memories and lessons of their early 
life, will be found most faithful also to the duties 
imposed upon them by new surroundings. Mother 
Caroline, whose spirit was truly Catholic, did not 
consider, in receiving applicants for admission into 
her community, the country in which they were 
born, but the dispositions and qualifications they 
brought to the work. From whatever point of 
view, indeed, we consider her character, she reveals 



INTRODUCTION. 17 

herself as a superior woman, a richly endowed 
nature. Her distinction of manner, her insight, 
her sound judgment, her strength of will, impressed 
men, as well as women, and hence her, influence 
extended beyond the interests of her Order. By 
nature she was a leader, and whoever was thrown 
into contact with her, felt the force of her character. 
But, if she was strong and self-contained, she was 
also kind and generous and just. She was especially 
solicitous for the health of her Sisters, knowing that 
their labors required strength and vigor of body, 
as well as discipline of mind and heart. She 
believed that to breathe impure air, to eat badly 
prepared food or to transgress heedlessly any law 
of health, is a sin against reason, and, therefore, 
against God. The work we do for others is the best 
mortification, and the more healthful we are, the 
more life-giving will our labor become. This is a 
lesson which the superiors of our Sisterhoods will 
find it necessary to inculcate with increasing per- 
sistence and intelligence. It is foolish piety to 
imagine that ill health is due to supernatural causes, 
that it is God's will that they who love Him should 
be feeble and suffering. It is God's will that we 
exercise reason and employ whatever means science 
may offer, to protect and invigorate bodily health. 
Superiors who persist in permitting the laws of 
hygiene to be violated by those over whom they 
have authority, are responsible for the loss of most 
precious lives. 

Mother Caroline believed also in the necessity of 
special pedagogical training to fit teachers to do the 
best work, and she was a leader in a movement 



18 INTEODUCTION. 

which is rapidly spreading through all our Sister- 
hoods, and which is increasing the efficacy of our 
parochial schools in a way which only the most 
attentive observers realize. 

Another subject which engaged her attention, 
was the need of a more practical education for our 
girls. The essential thing is what is useful, what 
enables a woman to provide for herself in the world. 
"Whatever our views on the subject may be, it were 
folly to refuse to recognize that the irresistible 
tendency of the social evolution is to throw Avoman 
upon her own resourses. She must be made strong, 
brave, wise and self-reliant. She must learn to 
provide for herself. If she marry, this will make 
her a better wife and mother : if she remain single, 
her ability to take care of herself will open up to 
her worlds of usefulness which will console her for 
the loss of domestic joys. Our convent schools are 
beginning to recognize this, and it is not difficult, 
to foresee that our views of the proper education of 
girls are rapidly adapting themselves to the changed 
conditions of the modern world. 

The author of the life of Mother Caroline has done 
a good work, one for which the lovers of noble 
women and the friends of Catholic education will be 
grateful. Why have we not a biography of Mother 
Hardy, of Mother Catherine Spalding, of Mother 
Angela Gillespie and of other superiors and founders 
of Sisterhoods, who have done things worthy of a 
permanent place in the history of the Catholic 
Church in the United States'? 

J. L. SPALDIXG, 

Peoeia, July 29, 1893. Bishop of Peoria- 



The Author's Preface to the Translation. 

The foregoing introduction by one of the most 
learned and eloquent bishops of our country, makes 
any further prefatory remarks superfluous. I shall, 
therefore, omit my preface to the original, desiring 
simply to express my thanks to those who have 
taken part in preparing the English edition of my 
little biography of Mother Caroline, above all, to 
the illustrious bishop of Peoria. 

The translation, by the School Sisters of Notre 
Dame, is a work of filial love, a tribute of gratitude 
and reverence to their lamented Mother Caroline, 
who holds a thousand claims upon them. Consid- 
ering, however, the pressure of responsible duties 
incumbent upon the Sisters who devoted their little 
spare time to this cherished task, I cannot but 
thank them for the pains they have taken. 

The part in verse, introducing the chapter 
^ ^Mother Caroline's Illness," was a most agreeable 
surprise to me, coming, as it did, from the grace- 
ful pen of our celebrated Catholic poetess, Eleanor 
C. Donnelly. To her I beg to convey my respectful 
thanks in a simple, old-fashioned, truly Catholic 
and, therefore, truly poetical expression of Mother 
Caroline : ' ' Vergelt' s Gott' ' — God reward you ! 

In behalf of the Sisters, I beg leave to remind my 
(19) 



20 PREFACE. 

kind readers that even the best of translations are 
but translations ; therefore, I trust they will rather 
fix their eyes upon the portrait of the noble life and 
character presented to their view than upon the 
frame in, which it is enshrined. 

May this new tribute to the memory of Mother 
Caroline help to perpetuate the name and example 
of one of the best and greatest women of our time 
and country. 

THE AUTHOE. 

Milwaukee, August 1893. 



Venerable Mother Mary Caroline Friess, 

First Commissary General of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. 
A Sketch of Her Life and Character. 



PART FIRST. 



From Her Birth to Her Entrance into the Convent. 
1824 — 1840. 

CHAPTEE I. 

Birth and Earliest Childhood in Paris. 

Venerable Mother Mary Caroline, who departed 
this life July 22nd, 1892, was born at Choisy-le-Eoi, 
a suburb of Paris, August 21st, 1824. On the 24th 
of the same month she was baptized in the famous 
church of jS'otre Dame des Victoires, receiving the 
name Mary Catharine Josephine. She was the 
second child and eldest daughter of John George 
Friess and Catharine Chapoulard. When a young 
man, in the time of the l^apoleonic wars, her father 
had emigrated from Bavaria to France. Her mother 
was the daughter of a French officer, who employed 
young Friess as interiDreter in his negotiations with 
the Germans. Eather delicate in health, but a man 
of education, he was well adapted to this position. 
His consequent intercourse with the officer's family 
resulted in leading his only daughter to the altar, 
as his bride. Their marriage was blessed with five 
children, of whom the three elder, George, Josephine 
and Adolphine were born in France, the two 
younger, Frederic and Walburga in Bavaria. All, 
except George, survive their sister Josephine, who 

(21) 



22 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

was destined to become the good and great Mother 
Caroline. George Friess, a merchant, died in 
Munich three years ago, leaving two children ; a 
son, George, successor in his business, and a 
daughter, Josephine, who consecrated herself to 
God, as Sister Augustine, in the Visitation Order. 
Adolphine is the faithful comi^anion of her Eev. 
Brother Frederic, at present Spiritual Director of 
the School Sisters in their principal Motherhouse at 
Munich. Walburga, the youngest of the family, is 
now known by the name of Sister M. Alipia in 
the Congregation of School Sisters at Temesvar, 
Hungary. 

In the year 1828, when Josepha, as she was called 
in the family circle, was scarcely four years old, 
her grandfather, John Baptist Friess, died in Lauin- 
gen, Bavaria, having emigrated to this city from 
Holland in his early youth, together with his five 
brothers. Here, he established an extensive tannery 
and leather business, which he conducted until his 
death. To carry on this business, it became 
necessary for his son George, to return from Paris, 
where he had acquired great skill in the manufacture 
of the finest kinds of leather fabrics. Consequently, 
in the fall of 1828, George Friess, with his wife and 
three children, left Paris for his old home in 
Lauingen. 

As his wife's parents could not reconcile them- 
selves to a separation from their only daughter, 
they, too, emigrated to Germany. This transfer of 
her family we may safely regard as the first visible 
interi3osition of Divine Providence in the life of 
Mother Caroline. Had she remained in France, she 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 23 

certainly would never have been what, through the 
grace of God, she afterwards became for the welfare 
of thousands. Indeed, it appears doubtful whether 
she would have devoted her life to any good cause, 
at least, as far as religion is concerned ; for her mother 
and grandparents, although, in a measure, practical 
Catholics, were by no means, devout Christians. 
Her mother, in particular, a lady of culture and 
highly respectable, was somewhat worldly-minded 
and, in consequence of her education, not entirely 
free from the influences of Voltarianism. She 
satisfied her strict obligations in regard to prayer, 
divine service and Easter Communion; but for 
any further exercises of religion, she had no zeal. 
Being an only child, she had not received proper 
training from her too indulgent parents, especially 
in curbing her pride and obstinacy. Combining 
with her unyielding disposition, — some painful 
proofs of which we shall meet with later — great tact 
and talent in the management of household and 
business affairs, she naturally exerted a great 
influence over her quiet and gentle husband, a 
deeply religious man. From this we may infer 
what the results might have been as regards the 
education of her children, had not Divine Providence 
extended a protecting hand over all of them, in 
particular, over our little Josepha. Among the 
cherished recollections of Mother Caroline's earliest 
childhood, was that of learning from her mother to 
make the sign of the cross and to recite the Pater 
and Ave. The interior of a church she never 
beheld during these years. The most vivid impres- 
sion left her of that period, was the first of the many 
alarming dangers to which her life was exx30sed. 



24 MOTXER CAROLINE. 

Little Josepha was exceedingly fond of fish. As 
soon as she would hear the Paris fish-women calling 
out their fish, fried, broiled or stewed, — she gave 
her mother no rest until she obtained her favorite 
dish. "When she had grown old enough, she would 
run out on the street, with a sou, and get a fish for 
herself. One day she had hardly begun to enjoy 
her dainty bit, when a j)retty large bone stuck fast 
in her throat. All efforts to remove it api3eared 
ineffectual, and the little one was in the greatest 
danger of choking to death. Leeches and other 
violent remedies were applied, the marks of which 
she bore on her neck all her life. Finally, the bone 
yielded and her life was saved. After such exj)e- 
rience, her parents and grandparents, of course, 
endeavored by all means to inspire little Josepha 
with a wholesome dread of fish ; but her appetite 
remained not the less keen. Her resolution not to 
eat any, at least not on the sly, was soon much 
weakened on hearing that our Savior had eaten fish. 
^^Then'' said the little wide-awake, ^'I, too, may eat 
fish, as much as I please." 



CHAPTEE II. 



Happy Tears of Childhood in Donanwoerth. 
Her Uncle and Grandmother. 

On their journey to Lauingen, the family stopped 
at Donauwoerth, to visit two relatives who were to 
exercise a decisive influence over the future supe- 
rioress of an Educational Order. These were her 
grandmother, Mrs. Afra Friess, nee Proeller, and 
her uncle, the Eev. Michael Friess. Upon the 



MOTHER CAEOLINE. 25 

death of lier husband, grandmother Friess had 
made her home with her Eeverend Son. 

For twelve years, that is till the time of her 
entering the convent, Josepha was entrusted to the 
care of these excellent persons, both of whom, 
especially her uncle, proved instruments in the 
hands of Divine Providence for the education of the 
little ^ ^French girP', a child of extraordinary talents 
and uncommon vivacity. 

Eev. Michael Friess, at the time of Josepha' s 
arrival, quite a young priest, became one of the 
best-known clergymen in the beautiful land of 
Bavaria. With profound learning and great ora- 
torical talent, he combined solid piety, strong faith 
and a firm, straightforward character. His heart, 
free from all sentimentality, was warm and benevo- 
lent. In the course of time, he was promoted to 
high ecclesiastical offices and dignities, becoming 
cathedral- canon, domestic prelate of His Holiness 
Pius IX., vicar-general and administrator of the 
diocese of Eichstaedt, where he died in the year 
1869. There was never a man on earth of whom 
Mother Caroline, to her dying day, spoke with 
greater veneration, love and gratitude than of her 
Eev. Uncle. All that she was, she attributed, next 
to the grace of God, to the thoroughly Christian 
education received from her wise uncle. Indeed, 
the future great educator could not have fallen into 
better hands ! 

Grandmother Friess also contributed her part to 
Josepha' s education, but her exceedingly tender 
love for her darling grandchild would, most proba- 
bly, have spoiled her entirely, had it not been for 



26 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

the prudent supervision of her Eev. Uncle. The 
aged Mrs. Friess was the daughter of Andrew 
Proeller of Lauingen, the great-grandfather of 
Mother Caroline. Of this venerable ancestor, too, 
the deceased often spoke with great veneration. 
She remembered him as a centenarian of small 
stature, snow-white hair, florid complexion, full of 
life and animation in all his gestures and movements. 
She played him many a childish trick, especially 
when she found an opportunity of getting at his 
pockets, always well filled with nuts and goodies 
for the little ones. 

Mr. Proeller was a devout and charitable Chris- 
tian, a man of great wealth and influence. All his 
undertakings met with such success that he seemed 
to have the blessing of the ancient patriarchs; 
indeed, his acquaintances simply called him 
^ ^Abraham." His happy death was mourned by 
eight children, sixty-four grandchildren and four 
great-grandchildren . Truly a patriarch' s blessing ! 
His property mainly consisted of large stockfarms 
although he had other enterprises, especially his 
slaughter-house and city bleachery, both of which 
yielded good profits. Although the wars at the 
beginning of the century had greatly reduced his 
property, he, nevertheless, left a considerable 
fortune which, with true parental love, he divided 
equally among his children. 

Before his death, he founded a lasting memorial 
of his faith and piety by a rich endowment fund, to 
have a holy Mass read every day, in the church of 
St. Martin at Lauingen, for himself and his posterity. 
'^It is my wiir', he declared, ^^that the great 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 27 

Sacrifice of Propitiation be forever offered daily for 
myself and my posterity". At the age of one 
hundred years he had a priest in his household, 
who read Mass every morning between the hours 
of ten and eleven, so that he might enjoy the bless- 
ings of assisting thereat every day to the end of 
his life. 

At this time, there was still another worthy 
relative, the Eev. Valentine Eiedl, whose mother 
was a sister to grandmother Friess, himself, accord- 
ingly, a granduncle of Josepha. Father Eiedl was 
a very learned and devout priest, who afterward 
became Bishop of Eatisbonne. In the Church 
History of Bavaria he is called ^^The pious Bishop 
Eiedl". His stay near the home of Josepha was 
not long enough to exert any particular influence 
over her education, still she remembered him all 
her life with greatest veneration. 

As soon as grandmother Friess beheld the long 
expected little Josepha, she was determined to keep 
her, notwithstanding all the protests of her French 
mother and grandparents, who proceeded to Lau- 
ingen with the rest of the family. An agreement 
was made between the two parties that the disputed 
object of their affections should spend every vaca- 
tion of her school years with her parents, which 
condition was satisfactory to grandmother Friess, 
as it did not involve a separation from her little 
Josepha. 

Soon after her arrival at Donauwoerth the little one 
was taken to church, for the first time, since the 
day of her baptism. It was during the Forty Hours^ 
devotion ; the Blessed Sacrament stood in a blaze 



28 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

of light. On entering the sacred place, she cried 
out as loud as she could : ^ ^Grandma, look! look! 
the sun is rising", and it required quite an effort 
on the part of grandma to quiet the child, so great 
was her joyful excitement. On Christmas day she 
was again allowed to go to church, and again it 
was the lights that attracted her attention. She 
began to count them aloud, and grandma could not 
stop her lively prattler, until she filled her pretty 
little mouth with sweet-meats. Her first visit to 
the graveyard was singularly remarkable, calling 
forth, for the first time, those strong, deep emotions 
which so often throughout her life manifested the 
wonderful depth of feeling in her warm and tender 
heart. The solemn stillness of that mournful place — 
the sight of the graves and crosses — were more 
than the pathetic child could bear. She stood as if 
fixed to the ground, began to shudder and tremble, 
for some moments staring at her grandmother, 
motionless and speechless, and then, crying out: 
^^AU dead! all dead! all dead!'' she wept and 
sobbed in the most pitiful manner. A long time 
elapsed before she was allowed to visit the grave- 
yard again. 

Father Friess observed and studied his little 
niece with all the care and anxiety of a parent who 
fully understands the responsible charge of training 
a child in whom such unusual qualities manifested 
themselves. Soon he believed to have discovered 
what he called an evil inclination in little Josepha, 
which was no other than the love of money. Any 
one familiar with Mother Caroline's almost unlim- 
ited generosity, will either smile incredulously at 



MOTHER CAKOLINE. 29 

the alleged discovery, or give her tutor credit for 
thoroughly eradicating this ^^evil inclination." 
What gave rise to her Eev. Uncle's alarm was 
the fact that Josepha would make little bags for 
herself, fill them with the prettiest pebbles she 
could find in the garden, and, swinging her odd 
purses, run into the house, shouting: '^See, how 
much money! have.'' As Father Friess and his 
mother frequently had visitors, she received many 
a coin as a gift ; for all were very fond of the bright 
little girl. To cure her of her ^^evil inclination" 
Uncle Friess had recourse to little fines, as a means 
of punishment. For stubbornness, anger, exces- 
sive inquisitiveness and similar faults, she was 
obliged to forfeit some pennies out of her little 
saving-bank, which, however, was never found 
empty, as grandma was always ready to replenish 
her darling' s treasury. Father Friess was especially 
strict with her, when she pouted after receiving 
correction for mischief. Once she actually refused 
to speak to him for three days, during which time 
he, of course, entirely ignored her, not even deigning 
to look at her. Grandma coaxed her to yield, but 
in vain. Finally, without Uncle's knowledge, she 
I)romised to give her money, if she would only speak 
to him again. The roguish child saw her opportu- 
nity and, taking full advantage of the situation, did 
not come to terms until she had obtained twenty- 
four pennies for her little bank — quite a sum for a 
child in those days. What if her uncle had known 
this ! Her forwardness, no less than her obstinacy, 
caused her worthy educator many a vexation. One 
day an ecclesiastic dignitary called on Father Friess^ 



30 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

who received him with greatest reverence. As 
soon as the little one came into the presence of the 
honorable visitor, she planted herself directly in 
front of him and, with a scrutinizing look, exclaimed 
in the drollest way : ' ^ What a big nose you have ! ' ' 
^^Oh! I was such an inquisitive, forward child,'' 
said Mother Caroline half painfully, half jestingly, 
when she related this little reminiscence. 

Josepha had spent about three years at Donau- 
woerth, when her Eev. Uncle was called to St.Mary's 
church at Ingolstadt. Previous to this appoint- 
ment as preacher in one of the grandest churches of 
Bavaria, he was obliged to go to Augsburg, to pass 
his examination in sacred oratory. This important 
event in the life of Father Friess became quite 
significant, too, in that of his little niece, as, on his 
return, she was made the happy, recipient of her 
first pair of ear-rings, which her good uncle had 
purchased in the old historic city. 

When about five years of age, Josepha was sent 
to school in an old Benedictine Monastery of Donau- 
woerth. Here, it was her greatest delight to run and 
skip through the great, long corridors and the court- 
yard. She learned the alphabet from a venerable 
old monk. Pater I^arcissus ; and a chanter of the 
antique type, in frock-coat and knee-breeches, 
taught her to sing the scales after the good old 
fashion of '^do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do.'' Odd 
enough, from this same honorable chanter, she 
received her first instruction in the useful art of 
knitting. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 31 

CHAPTEE III. 

Josepha's Life Exi)osed to Imminent Dangers. 
A Daring Boatride. 

As before in Paris, little Josepha's life was again 
seriously threatened in Donauwoerth. This was at 
a banquet in the house of her granduncle Mr. Albert 
Proeller, the brother of her grandmother, and a very 
respectable country-justice. 

It being his birthday, little Josepha was permitted 
to dine with her elders. During the banquet a 
storm arose, and, in the midst of the general festiv- 
ity, a sudden stroke of lightning darted close by 
the little one, into the floor. Fortunately, no one 
was injured and the frightened child soon recovered 
from her stupor. 

Not long after this, her childish temerity might 
have proved very disastrous. One afternoon, as 
she was at play in her uncle's garden, she heard the 
shouts of two boys inviting her to take a boat-ride 
with them on the Danube. Capital fan for our 
courageous little one ! Without hesitation or any 
thought of asking jDermission, she jumps into the 
skiff and glides away on the darkling billows. Amid 
lively chat and merry songs, the jovial trio row 
farther and farther down the river. Day is declin- 
ing, the sun sinking beneath the horizon ; still the 
keen voyagers think not of steering homeward. 
Now, the shades of twilight are falling, and the 
gathering darkness warns them to return. But 
alas ! those artless children have not been aware of 
the distance to which they have steered. And how 
shall they now reach their homes, when night is ui^on 
them*? Terror-stricken, our little culprit has 



32 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

recourse to prayer. ^^I i)rayed as never in my life 
before,'' said Mother Caroline, when she related 
this incident during her last illness. ^^I invoked 
all the angels and saints of heaven to aid us in our 
distress. ' ' It was late at night when the two rather 
crest-fallen argonauts landed Josei)ha on the same 
spot in her uncle's garden from which she had so 
eagerly and daringly stepped into their temjjting 
boat. And now, what is awaiting her? How is 
she to meet her Eev. Uncle and her grandmother? 
The latter, of course, hastens, upon the first intima- 
tion of her approach, to fold the darling run-away 
into her arms, and soothe her with her loving 
caresses. But her Eev. Uncle is not so tender. Severe 
reprimand and the rod are his woful welcome! 
And, what is worse, strict confinement to her room 
is the next penalty — a prelude to many more of the 
kind ; for Father Friess frequently found it exiDcdient 
to cage his exceedingly lively bird, in order to tame 
her. On such dire occasions, grandma sought to 
render the little culprit's imprisonment as pleasant 
as possible by feeding her with fruits and sweet- 
meats, but she only partially succeeded ; for liberty 
was dearer than bon-bons to the lively girl. 

It was probably during the first vacation Josepha, 
according to agreement, spent at Lauingen with her 
parents and French grandj)arents, that she was 
again exposed to imminent danger. She was taking 
a walk with her parents and brother George, along 
a road on both sides of which were verdant meadows. 
The children eagerly gathered the pretty flowers 
growing by the wayside and hastened back to 
the road, to offer their bouquets to their parents. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 33 

Just at this juncture, a Bavarian bridal party- 
approaches at full speed, in a chaise drawn by four 
horses. Little Josepha stumbles and now — she 
lies close at the horses' feet. Moments of agony 
for her parents ! The four horses and the vehicle 
pass over her! ^^But I," said Mother Caroline, 
sixty years afterwards, ^'I lay there motionless, 
without any fear, and beheld the horses lifting their 
feet and stretching them apart in this manner, 
(showing with rapid motions of her hands) not to 
tread upon me." Without sustaining any injury 
whatever, the child rose from the ground and 
brought her bouquet to her parents, now as much 
rejoiced as they had been terrified a moment before. 
Even the cool head and philosophical mind of her 
mother could not do otherwise than attribute this 
almost miraculous escape of her darling child to the 
protection of her guardian angel. Grandmother 
Friess, more in particular, took occasion from this 
never-to-be-forgotten incident to inspire little 
Josepha with a most tender devotion to her good 
angel and to all the celestial spirits, a devotion 
which Mother Caroline cherished all her lifetime 
and endeavored to instill into the hearts of all those 
under her charge. ^^May your holy angel protect 
you, my dear child, and bring you back safe,'' her 
grandmother was wont to say as often as she left 
the house. 

A short time after this thrilling event, sne nerself 
was destined to render the service of a protecting 
angel, when her grandchild was again in immediate 
danger. In Bavaria, especially among the genial 
Suabians, it was customary to have the Crib with 



34 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

the figure of the Holy Infant remain in the parish 
churches from Christmas to Candlemas-Day. On 
this feast, solemn service was held once more in 
honor of the Divine Inf ant , after which the holy image 
was carried out of church in solemn procession, 
during the singing of pious hymns. This closing 
festivity of the Christmas-tide was particularly 
attractive to children. Grandma had told little 
Josepha all about the sweet Infant Jesus, the bright 
scenes of Christmas and touching devotions during 
this joyful season ; she had also taken her to church 
several times to visit the Crib. Besides, she had 
not failed to decorate a pretty Christmas-tree for 
her darling, which always remained richly laden 
throughout the forty days, although Josepha was 
continually stripping its branches and enjoying the 
sweet-meats. When Candlemas arrived, Josepha 
was full of joyous anticipation, as she expected to 
accompany grandma to church ; but alas ! she was 
doomed to disappointment, as her Eev. Uncle could 
not be prevailed upon to grant her this favor. Most 
probably she was again undergoing some punish- 
ment. As might be expected, the tender-hearted 
grandmother sought to indemnify her darling. 
Before leaving the house, she dressed the child in 
her best clothes, giving orders to the servant-maid 
to illuminate her Christmas-tree and to take good 
care of the little one. Pretty soon the brilliant 
lights, sweet- meats and picture books so interested 
the child, that she forgot her vexation and highly 
enjoyed herself for some time. As she was alone, 
however, the servant being engaged in some other 
apartment, she finally grew weary and fell asleep. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 35 

Presently a burning taper fell from the tree and, in 
an instant, the ribbons and lace of her head-dress 
were on fire. Already the burning finery was 
beginning to singe her thick, glossy hair, when, 
suddenly, the door was thrown open, and grandma 
rushed in, to the rescue of the unconscious sleeper. 



CHAPTEE IV. 

A Pious Custom in Suabia and its Lasting Impression. 

A pious and beautiful custom among the warm- 
hearted Suabians made an indelible impression on 
little Josepha, when spending her vacations at 
Lauingen in her sixth, seventh and eighth years. 
The first pieces of handiwork made by little girls 
were offered to the Blessed Virgin or St. Anne and 
then brought to the alms-house. Grandmother 
Friess required little Josepha to comply with this 
custom. The first pair of stockings she knit, when 
five years of age, she offered to Mary on her altar 
in the grave- yard chapel at Lauingen. Her next 
offering consisted of the first yarn she spun, when 
six years old. Grandma had taught her to use the 
spindle in preference to the wheel, because of the 
better quality of the yarn it produced. Notwith- 
standing the lively child's fondness for active sports, 
she succeeded in spinning seven skeins of yarn, each 
consisting of one hundred threads which she tied 
together with red ribbon. As to the length of these 
threads, the narrator is, of course, ignorant. This 
yarn, Josepha offered to St. Anne in a grotto beneath 
our Lady' s altar. Grandma, who was even prouder 
of the offering to be made than her grandchild, 



36 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

when leading Josepha down the stairway, whispered: 
^^Hide your yarn, my child ; for the Blessed Virgin 
might be jealous." She placed her offering at the 
foot of St. Anne's statue, which Mother Caroline 
was wont to call a ^ ^frightful image," as it rudely 
represented the Saint, above life-size, holding the 
Infant Jesus in her arms, and Mary standing by her 
side. In her third vacation grandmother Friess 
was rejoiced to lead little Josepha to St. Anne's 
statue once more with the first little under-garment 
the happy child had made. Truly, a touching and 
beautiful idyl, this threefold offering of a little girl ! 
How deep must have been the impression of child- 
like faith and tender devotion, made upon her 
susceptible young mind. Even on her deathbed 
Mother Caroline besought the narrator not to omit 
this beautiful custom of her cherished Suabia. 

With many such incidents, amid soul- stirring 
scenes, our lamented Mother Caroline spent the 
early years of her childhood at Donauwoerth. Surely, 
they could not fail to leave their salutary impress on 
her whole life's career, more especially as her grand- 
mother's admonitions and the instructions received 
from her Eev. Uncle rendered them still dearer and 
more attractive. Already in that early period, as 
we may safely conclude, the foundation was laid of 
that unwavering faith and confidence in the Divine 
Protection which was to inspire the future Mother 
Caroline with strength and fortitude for the most 
difficult undertakings and painful experiences of her 
self-sacrificing, laborious life in the service of God. 
In those happy days of childhood, she was made to 
know and feel that she was under the special pro- 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 37 

tection of God and His holy angels ^ preparing her 
for the Christian's warfare here on earth. 



CHAPTEE V. 

Happy Years of Childhood at In^olstadt.— 

Josepha Attends a Conyent School.— Her First Confession. 

After a period of three years, when Josepha was 
about seven years of age, her Eev. Uncle, as before 
stated, was transferred to Ingolstadt. It was here 
that Josepha, for the first time, attended a school 
conducted by Sisters. These religious were Fran- 
ciscans, teaching in the so called ^^GnadenthaP' — 
Valley of Grace. They soon learned to know the 
extraordinary mental endowments of their new 
pupil, and her deportment, too, was not unsatisfac- 
tory, as her uncle had pretty well succeeded in 
subduing her stubbornness and controlling the well 
nigh unbounded liveliness of the promising child. 
The Sisters soon entertained a kindly affection for 
the bright, little girl, whose own warm love for 
her teachers, was, doubtless, increased by the sweet- 
meats they were wont to give her, and for which, 
as we know, her grandmother's excessive tenderness 
had cultivated her taste in a high degree. Her love 
for these good religious awakened the first thought 
in Josepha of becoming a Sister — a Franciscan, of 
course. But this vocation was based upon too sweet 
a foundation to last. 

As Josepha was now in her eighth year, the time 
for her first confession approached. Serious and 
thoughtful as she was, in spite of her vivacity, she 
would have carefully prepared herself, even without 



38 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

the assistance of her grandmother and Eev. Uncle. 
She made her confession to the Eev. Father Herb^ 
who took the greatest interest in the promising 
child and, it appears, never lost sight of her. When, 
in 1885, Mother Caroline paid a visit to Munich, as 
Colnmissary General of the Sisters in America, the 
venerable octogenarian did not fail to call upon her 
whom he affectionately remembered as his little 
penitent of 1832. Her birthday previous to her 
first confession was rendered quite memorable by 
her Eev. Uncle, but in a manner not very pleasing 
to Josepha. ^ ^ Child, ' ' said he, ' ^you are now seven 
years old, just entering upon your girlhood. I will 
not treat you as a little child any longer. Hitherto 
I have blessed and kissed you every evening; 
henceforth I will only bless you. "Neither may you 
say ' ^Du' '—' ^Thou' '—to me in future, but ^ ^Sie. ' ' * 
These words of her uncle were painful darts ; for 
she loved him with all the childlike affection of her 
heart — that great heart, whose inexhaustible fount 
of love was to render thousands happy in future 
years . For the kiss of which she was to be deprived, 
Josepha knew very well she would receive full com- 
pensation from her grandmother ; but what was she 
to do, in order to avoid addressing her Eev. Uncle 
with that cold, stiff Sief In this perplexity she 
attempted what, in after life, she understood so well, 
oft-times so emphatically declaring that love is 
inventive. Coaxingly she whispered into his ear : 
'^But when we are alone, dear uncle, I may say Du, 
may I not^' As Father Friess' position allowed 
him very little time for himself, he could not resist 

*) The pronoun *'Du," as used in the German language, expresses 
more familiarity and tenderness than its formal substitute, "Sie". 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 39 

her affectionate pleading ; but he was soon to find 
out that his clever little niece had out-witted him. 
As often as he was engaged with visitors, and 
Josepha had any inquiry to make or message to 
deliver, she would have her Eev. Uncle called into 
the passage, in order to speak with him alone. 
Which of the two was more rejoiced at the success 
of her stratagem, it is not easy to say ; but both 
parties abided by their mutual agreement. 

Shortly after a young priest, a friend of the family, 
celebrated his first Holy Mass at Ingolstadt. Father 
Friess composed a congratulation in verse, which 
his little niece copied and delivered Feb. 26, 1832, 
accordingly, when she was seven and a haK years 
old. As the Sisters will, undoubtedly, be happy 
to read their lamented Mother's first recitation of 
this kind, we subjoin a translation, together with a 
fac-simile of the fair little writer's dedication and 
signature in German. 



This world, beneath the heaven's blue, 
A garden vast presents to view, 

In which our Lord, with loving care, 
Reared choicest plants of beauty rare ; 

But noxious weeds, in time, appeared, 
And all the garden's bloom was seared. 



Though God sent gard'ners then to toil, 
They could not clear the weedy soil. 

At last, from Heaven's highest throne 
He sent His own dear Son alone. 

To water it with His life-blood, — 
Then, thriving, once again it stood. 



40 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

3- 
And when its lovely bloom anew 

Was pleasing to the Father's view, 
Returning to His throne above, 

The Son His servants sent with love. 
To labor in this garden fair 

And till the soil with zealous care* 

4. 
Thou, too, young gard'ner now with joy 

Wilt undertake this great employ. 
Then, sow within thy soil good seeds, 

And ever keep it free from weeds, 
Lest they might choke a plantlet fair 

Which thou must rear with tender care. 

5. 
And, when the harvest draweth near. 

May golden fruits thy spirit cheer. 
And precious in the sight of God 

Appear thy thriving garden-sod ; 
Then will thy Master smile on thee. 

And thy reward exceeding be 

Affectionately dedicated to 

Your Eeverence, 
as a devout souvenir, by 




' ''^'^^/^i^'fi^ii^^^ 






MOTHER CAROLINE. 41 

During these happy days of her childhood, the 
diocesan bishop of Eichstaedt paid a visit to Ingol- 
stadt and attended a sermon by Father Friess. The 
bishop was so well pleased with the youthful 
preacher, that he determined to call' him to his 
cathedral. Josepha, accordingly moved to Eich- 
staedt with her Eev. Uncle and grandmother, when 
she was about ten years of age. It was in this 
venerable old See of St. Willibald that she spent 
the most important years of her youth, up to the 
time of her entering the convent. 



CHAPTEE VI. 



Remaining Tears of Childhood Spent at Eichstaedt.— Jose- 
pha a Pupil of Benedictine Nuns. — First Holy Commun- 
ion. — Thoughts of Her Yocation. — Confirmation. 

The Jittle French girl had, by this time^ become a 
genuine German. Not the slightest accent of her 
mother-tongue could be detected in her speech. 
This is not surprising, however, considering the 
deep-rooted antipathy of the Bavarians for the arch- 
enemy of their country. On his removal to Eich- 
staedt, Father Friess found no separate school for 
girls. The parochial school for both sexes was 
conducted by a male teacher. Anxious as he was, 
to see his unusually promising niece grow up in 
brightest purity, he only allowed her to attend this 
school for half a year. In the meantime, be exerted 
all his influence Avith his bishop and the government 
to establish a convent school in the old Abbey of 
St. "Walburga. Josepha meanwhile pursued her 
studies at home under his direction. About a year 



42 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

after her arrival at Eichstaedt, Father Friess had the 
great pleasure to obtain six Benedictines from Augs- 
burg. Josepha was, of course, one of the first 
pupils under their charge. Now she began to apply 
herself to study in full earnest, while her Eev. Uncle 
redoubled his efforts to form her character. After 
successfully passing through the common grades at 
the Sisters' School, Josepha next devoted herself to 
the higher branches with brilliant success. 

Even before the close of her fifteenth year she 
passed the preparatory teachers' examination with 
highest distinction. While pursuing these studies, 
she also took lessons in music, drawing and painting. 
The violin was her favorite instrument. Although 
manifesting great skill in acquiring these arts, 
intervening circumstances did not allow her ample 
time to attain the desired proficiency. ^^Never- 
theless," as Mother Caroline was wont to say, 
^^what I learned in those years has always enabled 
me to render service in any case of necessity, as far 
as female accomplishments are concerned." Her 
remarkable ability in discovering talent and fostering 
taste for the arts and sciences among the members 
of her community, proves the modesty of the estimate 
she set upon her own accomplishments. 

While at Eichstaedt, she was to enjoy the happi- 
ness of receiving her first Holy Communion, on the 
3rd of April, 1836. How highly she cherished the 
memory of this happy day, throughout her entire 
life, is obvious from the fact that she kept her 
plain, little communion picture to her latest day, 
always taking it with her on her journeys. To 
preserve it from injury, she had carefully edged it 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 43 

with more durable paper. The only wish she 
expressed to the narrator, in regard to her burial, 
was to take this picture with her to the grave. 
From this we may conclude how carefully she must 
have prepared herself for that never td be forgotten 
day. Her Eev. Uncle imparted most thorough 
religious instructions, while her grandmother's 
pious exhortations and stories also contributed to 
inspire the proper dispositions. The happy first 
communicant was deeply impressed with the impor- 
tance of this most holy act. Even in those early 
days, her piety was of that enlightened character 
which in after years was to prove so beneficial in 
directing her religious community. Her piety was 
based upon faith — faith which, by means of her 
Eev. Uncle's theoretical and practical instructions, 
became, as it were, her second nature. While grand- 
mother Friess exercised her influence over the warm 
and tender heart of the young girl, her Eev. Uncle 
enriched her intellectual endowments with the most 
solid and comprehensive knowledge of her holy 
religion. Whoever became more intimately ac- 
quainted with Mother Caroline, soon gained the 
conviction that her knowledge of Christian doctrine 
was almost equal to that of professed theologians. 
She regarded every undertaking, every vicissitude 
of joy and sorrow during her eventful life, in the 
light of faith, with clearness of mind and tranquillity 
of heart, and never allowed any sentimentality to 
influence her mode of action. A resolute, solid 
piety, sustained by principles of faith, rendered 
her strong in her own spirit and reliable in directing 
others. — The nearer the great day approached, the 



44 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

more did Father Friess employ every means in his 
power to insure the worthy preparation of his niece. 
His chief concern was, more and more to overcome 
her pride and to exercise her in self-denial. One 
day he subjected her to a severe trial by telling her 
she might communicate in the cathedral^ with the 
other parish children, amid great solemnity, clad in 
white,with veil and wreath; or she might receive 
privately from his hands in an adjoining chapel, 
plainly dressed, without any ornament. 

The choice, being left entirely to herself, caused 
her a great struggle. On the one hand, she highly 
revered her uncle and loved him dearly ; on the 
other, the thought of the fine apparel she was sure 
to receive from her grandmother, had given her 
much pleasure ; besides, she was clever enough to 
know that she would be one of the handsomest and 
most respectable among all the first communicants. 
She lamented, wept and prayed — even lost her 
appetite and sleep — till, finally, love for her uncle 
and self-denial gained the victory. Father Friess 
was rejoiced on learning her decision and quietly 
assisted her in completing her preparations. Eec- 
ompense was in waiting for Josepha. Apart from 
the great graces conferred by first Holy Communion, 
so worthily received, she was specially favored, 
interiorly, with the earnest thought and desire of 
consecrating herself to God in the religious state. 
So clear and powerful was this impulse, that she 
never gave up her intention after that happy day. 
Another interior work of grace was the choice of 
St. Aloysius, as her special patron, which she made 
through a motive rather singular for a child. It 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 45 

was the thought of the eternal reward, so speedily 
obtained by the Angelic Youth for the brave renun- 
ciation of all his earthly goods, that determined her 
choice. She, too, was ready to sacrifice all earthly 
pleasures, that she might the sooner go to Heaven. 
Divine grace obviously began to fill her young soul 
with higher aspirations. Some months previous, 
in August 1835, when she was not quite eleven 
years old, a seemingly trivial occurrence made a 
deep impression on Josepha's mind, giving her a 
singularly childlike idea of the transient nature of 
earthly things. On the 5th of August, feast of St. 
Afra, Grandmother Friess celebrated her nameday. 
A few days before, Josepha had filled a plate with 
wet sand, in which she arranged some beautiful 
flowers, thinking to offer them with her congratu- 
latory verses. ^Yhen the hour for the presentation 
arrived, she found her choice flowers decaying and 
emitting a foul odor. This disagreeable surprise 
so afflicted her young heart that she was inconsol- 
able, and passed the following night sleepless, again 
and again exclaiming : ^^Oh ! my beautiful flowers ! 
how disgusting they had become ! No, never shall I 
attach my heart to corruj)tible things." Though 
she did not always remain faithful to this resolution 
of her childhood, we, nevertheless, can infer how 
beneficial such influence must have been in forming 
her interior disposition. 

Persons who were well acquainted with Mother 
Caroline and aware of her great love for everything 
beautiful, must have noticed that she never made 
a pet or a hobby of anything. She was often highly 
amused when Sisters were so fond of flowers, birds, 



46 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

etc., as to make i)ets of them. Seeing, at times, 
that Sisters went too far in such things, she warmly 
expressed her disapproval and seriously interfered. 
It is true, she had green-houses built in connection 
with the larger dwellings of the Sisters, and, in 
erecting new buildings, she had bay-windows con- 
structed on the south side, for rearing plants, for 
the sole purpose, however, of providing flowers 
for the altar. It was impossible for Mother Caroline 
to play with any animal, even if it were but a 
little bird. 

The victory she had gained over self, preparatory 
to her first Holy Communion, was also to bring her 
reward from external sources. 

On the glorious Easter morning of 1836, she had 
received her Divine Savior, for the first time, at the 
early hour of six, clad in a sim^^le calico dress. 
^^ When I heard the '^Ecce Agnus Dei^^^ and ^^Doviine, 
non sum dignus^^^ pronounced by my Eev. Uncle 
with a tremulous voice, I felt as if our Lord Himself 
were addressing me,'' said Mother Caroline, shortly 
before her death, when again speaking of the holiest 
day of her happy childhood. To reward Josepha 
for the self-denial she had practiced. Father Friess 
in the afternoon of that thrice^ liappy day took her 
to Mount St. Mary's, near Eichstaedt, where he 
addressed a few touching words of exhortation to 
his beloved foster-child, and then, in fervent prayer 
offered her to our Blessed Lady, forever commending 
her to the tender care of her heavenly Mother. No 
wonder that Mother Caroline never forgot this great 
day, so full of deep signification for her future 
career. No wonder that she always sought to 



3I0THEII CAEOLINE. 47 

inspire her spiritual daughters with the raost heart- 
felt interest for the first Holy Communion of their 
pupils. — In the year 1837 she was confirmed by the 
newly consecrated Bishop Eeisach, later created a 
cardinal. The Et. Eev. Prelate himself chose her 
name, for which, however, she was not very thank- 
ful ; indeed, it vexed her exceedingly to receive the 
name ^'Eve,^^ which she had reason to regard as a 
censure of her curiosity, not altogether undeserved. 
Mayhap the Bishop and Father Friess had entered 
into a little conspiracy on this occasion; for we 
know how anxious the latter was to exercise his 
niece in humility and self-denial. Josej)ha in the 
year 1838, spent part of her time in the Bishop's 
residence, in order to receive practical instructions 
in cooking. Her prudent uncle was determined to 
give his highly gifted niece a thorough education 
in every respect. 



CHAPTEE VII. 



Development of Josepha's Yocation. — Preparatory 
Training. 

Josepha faithfully persevered in her desire of 
entering a convent, never changing her mind, in 
spite of her exuberant vivacity. One Sunday after- 
noon, shortly after her first Holy Communion, she 
attended Vespers and Benediction, as was her 
custom, at the Capuchin Convent, beautifully situ- 
ated in the vicinity of Eichstaedt. Many of the 
faithful were attracted thither by the solemnity of 
the services held by these good Fathers in their 
convent chapel. Here it was, during the exposition 



48 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

of tlie Most Holy Sacrament^ that Josepha with all 
the fervor of her heart, made the promise — if not 
actually the vow — to consecrate herself to God. No 
one was aware of this ; she had followed an interior 
imj)ulse in performing this deeply significant act, 
prompted, no doubt, by the sweet attraction of the 
Divine Lover of chastity, who desired to possess her 
young heart in all its virgin purity. 

But it was only too clear to her zealous educator 
that, apart from her extreme youth, Josepha had, 
by no means, acquired the necessary maturity of 
character for embracing the religious life. He, 
therefore, quietly persevered in his strenuous efforts 
to give her proper training, using the mallet and 
chisel — sometimes, indeed, not merely in a figura- 
tive sense. To conquer her innate pride and 
subdue her violent temper, to check the excessive 
buoyancy of her spirits, — in a word, to exercise 
her in self-denial was the end and aim of all his en- 
deavors. ' ^Oh ! how thankful I am that my beloved 
uncle was so strict with me,'' Mother Caroline 
often exclaimed during her last illness. ^^He was 
so wise and judicious in all his severity. May God 
reward him a thousand times — my dear, good uncle ! 
^^The trials to which, at times, he subjected her, 
were, indeed, not very light, as a few examples will 
testify. 

While attending school, he never allowed his 
niece to take a first premium, no matter how well 
she had deserved it. This was, of course, a bitter 
dose for poor Josepha, particularly at the last 
public distribution. Protesting to her uncle that 
she was sure of having merited the first prize, he 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 49 

sternly retorted: ^^You shall not have the first 
premium ; the third you Trill get, and that settles 
the matter.'' The good Benedictines, of course, 
protested; but they were obliged to submit to 
their powerful patron. When the day of distribution 
arrived, Josepha was determined not to heed the 
call of her name. But her uncle was present ! With 
ill-concealed scorn she took the book, but, scarcely 
deigning to look at it, threw it into the lumber-room, 
as soon as she returned home. Father Friess took 
care, however, not to let it remain there very long. 

On the subject of dress the pedagogue and his 
pupil also entertained different opinions. Josepha 
was too sensible to be vain in dress, still she wished 
to have fine clothing. Her uncle was not unwilling 
to let her dress according to her rank, yet he ingen- 
iously sought to teach her self-denial and other 
virtues, even in this regard. Though ready to 
gratify her wishes when they were not extravagant, 
he would reason with her somewhat after this 
fashion : ^ ^ Well, my child, you may have the desired 
dress. It is rather dear, of course, yet not above 
your rank in life. Let us calculate the cost. If you 
take cheaper material, you can save quite a little 
sum. This, or the half of it, you can have for your 
poor-box." 

In regard to board, he proceeded in the same 
manner. Meals in his modest dining-room were 
always well prepared, but with Christian simplicity, 
as becomes a priest's table. Josepha having learnt 
to cook, was quite handy and tasty in setting the 
table ; moreover, she was intent on having every- 
thing rich and fine, at least on feast-days. Her 



50 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

uncle gave her credit for her esthetic taste and 
regard for holy festivals, yet he maintained that 
her love for the poor ought to induce her to be more 
economical in preparing meals. With arguments 
like this, he easily gained his point; for Josepha's 
generous love for the poor prevailed over every 
other consideration. Similar means were employed 
to interest Josepha in house-work; for she was 
certainly more inclined to the study of arts and 
sciences than to engage in household duties. As 
was natural to her lively disposition, she preferred 
to spend her leisure hours outside of the house, 
particularly when her grandmother's pious exhor- 
tations became too frequent within. It was, doubt- 
less, the unconscious awaking of her future vocation 
that drew her so strongly to homes in which there 
were little children. With dolls, she never played ; 
she could not endure those ^ ^stupid, speechless 
things." But dear little children were the delight 
of her heart. Her great love for her schoolmates, 
more especially for the poorer among them, also 
gave indication of her future calling. Well supplied 
with good things, as she always was by her loving 
grandmother, she delighted in sharing them with 
her companions ; and, to obtain assistance for the 
poor, she had recourse to her uncle with childlike 
entreaties. The pocket-money he was wont to give 
her, as an incentive to study, she gladly disposed 
of for such charitable purposes. Besides, being 
not so well acquainted then with the fine distinc- 
tions of the Seventh Commandment, her conscience 
never troubled her when she carried away eatables 
from her grandmother's larder, to feed poor hungry 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 51 

children. It was her greatest pleasure to gather a 
group around her and deal out her little store as 
far as it reached. 

But in her charitable works there were even 
brighter manifestations of her future unbounded 
love for poor school-children than in her generous 
gifts. Although brought up in scrupulous cleanli- 
ness and naturally very sensitive in this respect, 
she would look for the most neglected children 
and take them to some obscure corner, where, 
unobserved, she could wash and comb them. For 
such deeds of love and mercy she already received 
the name of ^^school-mother'' when quite a young 
pupil. Truly, the oft repeated counsels of her Eev. 
Uncle were heeded with docility by the noble- 
minded Josepha. 

In order to check her . propensity for strolling 
outside of home-premises, her uncle assigned her 
various little duties to keep her pleasantly occupied. 

She was charged with the care of his ward-robe, 
darning and mending of his linens, toilet services, 
etc. For these and other little household duties, 
he paid her well and promptly, so that she always 
had quite a respectable little saving-bank. For a 
proper disposal of such earnings, he also gave her 
wise directions ; but, indeed, Josepha was far too 
noble even to think of spending her honest earnings 
for nicknacks and sweet-meats. To offer assistance 
to poor students afforded her great pleasure ; for 
she felt she would thus ai^propriate her money for 
the benefit of Holy Church. Many a worthy student 
thus obtained considerable help not only from the 
grave, yet generous cathedral- canon, but also from 



52 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

his s]3riglitly young niece. Once a month she was 
allowed to divide her savings among them, through 
which generosity Josepha, of course, became a 
general favorite. 

Often they paid her homage by verses composed 
in her honor, which she received with simple, child- 
like grace, free, alike, from sentimentality and pru- 
dishness. When in her fifteenth year, she was a 
happy, innocent girl, without the least knowledge 
or apprehension of aught that ai3pertains to immo- 
rality. The same special providence that guarded 
her life, also protected her purity. She rather 
enjoyed the lively sports of boys than the more 
quiet pastimes of girls. More in particular, when 
spending her vacations at Lauingen with her numer- 
ous relatives, was she the life of the merry crowd. 
In her great-grandfather's fields, they loved to play 
the part of soldiers, Josepha, the officer's grand- 
daughter, acting as general. Indeed, to take the 
command and enforce discipline, was an innate trait 
of her character. Though we shall see that the little 
general, in after years, fulfilled her office, as supe- 
rioress of a religious community, with great reluc- 
tance, often expressing her reiDugnance and weari- 
ness, still all must admit she was specially endowed 
with talent for ruling. Earely do we meet with a 
person at the same time so much loved and feared 
by her subjects as Mother Caroline, but happily 
love was always ui)permost in the hearts of all. 

In his unceasing efforts to cultivate a taste for 
simplicity, frugality and self-denial in his pupil, 
the faithful educator only on one occasion was un- 
successful. Large hats were worn by young girls, 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 53 

and these large hats, of course, required ribbons 
to correspond. Josepha, too, wished to have 
wide satin ribbon for her large hat. Father Friess, 
considering this too exj)ensiYe, required her to trim 
it with a cheaper quality of half- silk ribbon. She 
was obliged to submit, but she never wore the hat; 
it was doomed to mingle with cast-away society in 
her grandmother' s attic. Her judicious master said 
nothing, but quietly awaited an opportunity to have 
her renew the old acquaintance. 

At length, after five long years, the desired 
occasion presented itself. Previous to Sister Caro- 
line's departure for America, he paid her a farewell 
visit. On learning that the Sisters would not travel 
in their religious habit, but wear secular clothing, 
he dryly remarked : ^^Oh ! if that be the case. Sister 
Caroline can wear the hat that Miss Josepha rejected 
some years ago." He hit the mark; but on the 
subsequent fate of the hat, history is silent. 

Father Friess, above all, considered it his duty 
to subdue the iDassion of anger and the stubbornness 
of his gifted niece ; otherwise, he had every reason 
to fear that these strong propensities would lead to 
her ruin. This was not an easy task, however, 
and not unfrequently the rod played an important 
role in the proceedings. Josepha, at times, yielded 
to her temper so far as to tear sheets of i3aper into 
shreds, or she would proceed to the kitchen and 
violently knock about the cooking utensils, to cool 
her angry mood. It is true, she did take pains to 
subdue her passion, but it is chiefly owing to her 
uncle and — his rod — that she learned to control 
herself so well. Aft^r an outburst of anger or a fit 



54 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

of stubbornness J lie subjected lier to a systematic 
course of reformatory punisliment. A pretty birch- 
rod — so Mother Caroline called it, even in her last 
days — had its appointed, though somewhat hidden 
IDlace in the sitting-room. When a penal process 
became necessary, the first quiet command of her 
uncle T7as to get the rod and soak it. That this 
was not very speedily done may be imagined. But 
still more time was required in taking the next step, 
which was to beg His Eeverence to apply it. Too 
well she knew her request would be fully granted, 
and the rod would do its service until she spoke 
the conciliating word : ^^Uncle, I beg your pardon.'' 
Even in this she was dilatory, although her loving 
grandmother implored and conjured her to yield at 
once, it was not until she felt the smart of the rod 
too keenly, that her proud spirit would bend and 
allow her to utter the words for which her stern 
uncle was waiting. Verily, the training of such a 
child was a task as interesting as it was difficult. 
No wonder that Mother Caroline was enthusiastic 
in her life-long gratitude towards her Eev. Uncle. 
Only an extraordinary master could succeed in 
educating such a child. 

After her first Holy Communion, Father Friess 
took an ever increasing interest in the readings of 
his beloved niece. She was not allowed any other 
books than those he appointed. It is true, well 
meaning students, at times, managed to supply her 
with others, on the sly, but they were always really 
good books. She began her course of reading with 
the beautiful tales of Canon Schmid, whose three 
nieces were, in course of time, to be numbered among 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 55 

her most faitliful Sisters. Annegarn's general 
history was highly interesting to her growing mind 
as also a comprehensive natural history. She loved^ 
in particular, to read good poems and biographies 
of great men and women. Her unclCj moreoyer, 
required her daily to devote a short, but stated time 
to spiritual reading. She was especially fond of 
St. Francis de Sales' Philothea. Among the books 
in her grandmother's library, she availed herself of 
Instructions on the Gospels, Cochem's Explanations 
of the Holy Mass, and the History of the Passion. 
A treatise on purgatory with drastic engravings 
representing the sufferings of the poor souls, she 
could not endure, because her pious grandmother 
would sometimes make use of it, when she had been 
very mischievous, for the purpose of scaring her 
into good behavior. Her Eev. Uncle, well knowing 
her excitable disposition, made choice of such 
reading matter for Josepha as would best develop 
her understanding. If he perceived that any 
readings excited her imagination too much, cost her 
tears or loss of sleep, she was obliged to give up the 
book. For the same reason, he would not permit 
her, for a time, to read the History of the Passion, 
nor even to perform the Way of the Cross. That 
Josepha might derive lasting benefit from the books 
she read, her uncle would make them the subject 
of pleasant conversation and require an accurate 
account of each. In regard to spiritual reading, 
however, he never made any direct inquiry as to 
the matter, but rather desired to know what appli- 
cation she had made. ^^A propos," he would 
unexpectedly exclaim: ^^What profit have you 



56 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

derived from your spiritual reading to-day'! Wliat 
have you put into practice 'f ' ' She was also required 
to give an account of the sermons she had heard. 
If she knew nothing to relate, she was deprived of 
meat at dinner. But what she would have enjoyed 
above all else, was the privilege denied her, that is 
to preach. She really considered it a misfortune to 
be a girl, because she could not become a great 
preacher like her uncle. As His Eeverence always 
carefully prepared his sermons, declaiming them 
aloud, she overheard him and, mastering at least 
some parts of them, sought various opportunities for 
testing her oratorical powers. Finding herself alone 
one day in the church of St. Walburga, she quickly 
ascended the pulpit and, imitating her uncle's voice 
and gestures, preached at a great rate. No wonder 
that in later years her powerful words and touching 
exhortations so inflamed the hearts of her spiritual 
daughters with zeal for any labor and sacrifice 
required of them in their arduous vocation. 

One more tragico-comical event, and we must 
take leave of her Eev. Uncle's highly attractive and 
instructive training process, in order to accompany 
Josepha to the convent. 

Good Friday had come, Josepha being about 
fifteen years old. She had heard that many pious 
citizens of Eichstaedt spent the whole of that mourn- 
ful day in church without eating or drinking. Here 
was an example of piety worthy of her imitation ! 
Late in the evening, she retired to rest, fatigued 
and hungry. But oh ! the pangs of poor nature ! 
Sleep would not come to her relief. Dreadful was 
the gnawing of hunger; she could endure it no 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 57 

longer. — Where to find milk and cream, bread and 
pastry, slie knew very well — had known too well, at 
times. — She could help herself in the dark. — With 
great speed she reaches the store-room, and now, 
what a treat! But alas! in her haste, she is not 
aware of the noise she has made, startling her uncle, 
grandmother and the servant. Delicious are the 
morsels she is consuming ; and now she is just about 
taking another draught out of the milk-bowl, when 
oh, horror! it suddenly becomes bright as day. 
Three light-bearing figures appear upon the scene. 
^^A pretty affair this,'' cries her uncle, ^^to fast by 
day and feast at night!'' A moment's consterna- 
tion — and His Eeverence, heartily laughing, tells 
the mortified culprit to finish her meal. This time 
no punishment followed ; the affair was too comical. 



CHAPTEE YIII. 



Choosing a Keligious Order.— Kesohes npon Entering the 
Congregation of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. 

While Father Friess was taking pains to form 
Josepha's character, it daily became more obvious 
that she was destined for the religious state. Firm 
in her resolution to consecrate herself to God, she 
never wavered in her determination to leave the 
world, with all the bright prospects it naturally 
held out to her lively spirit and cultivated taste. 
But which convent was she to enters She loved 
the Benedictine nuns with all the ardor of her 
grateful heart. Had she not been their pupil for a 
period of five years'? They surely were willing to 
receive the gifted niece of the highly respected 



58 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

cathedral canon. The tricks she had so often played 
them were certainly all forgiven. But her uncle 
was convinced that her exceedingly lively disposi- 
tion was not adapted to a strictly cloistered life ; 
and Bishop Eeisach, who took a fatherly interest 
in Josepha — as he did ever after in Mother Caro- 
line — entertained the same opinion, feeling assured 
that her constitution would not stand such confine- 
ment. As she always had a warm heart for the 
poor and affiicted, some of her friends thought she 
would make a good Sister of Charity ; but Josepha 
did not consider herself able to take care of the sick 
and suffering. The very sight of bodily pain had 
a stupefying effect upon her strong and tender 
feelings. In this x)erplexity Bishop Eeisach became 
an instrument in the hands of Divine Providence, 
to bring matters to a happy issue. It was then six 
years since the saintly Bishop Wittmann and 
Father Job had re-established the Congregation of 
Poor School Sisters of Notre Dame, chiefly destined 
for parochial schools. Josepha had never heard of 
these Sisters, but the assurance given her by her 
enlightened directors that her disposition and 
education best qualified her for a teaching order 
whose sphere of labor extended beyond the cloister- 
walls, was sufficient for her who only sought to 
accomplish the will of God. By this decision she 
abided, and that with a firmness that was soon to 
be strongly tested. 

Although her connection with her parents was 
limited almost entirely to her annual visits during 
school vacations, she would, after all, not enter the 
convent without obtaining their consent and 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 59 

blessing. She met with little opposition on the part 
of her father ; but her mother declared she would 
never consent^ nor give her any dowery ; indeed, she 
would disinherit her. Josepha was not dismayed, 
but soon contrived a plan, which not only proved 
her vocation genuine, but also gave evidence of the 
progress she had made in self-denial. Her last 
vacation had come, which she again spent at Lauing- 
en. Without consulting any one, she went to the 
office of the country- j ustice one day and requested 
him to give her a poverty certificate, that she might 
be received into the convent without a dowery. The 
justice, who was a friend of the family, regarded 
her with a puzzled look of surprise and simply 
replied , ^^I must speak with your father first, Miss 
Friess. There is no mortgage on his estate. ' ' Soon 
afterwards she ascertained that her father and her 
Eev. Uncle had agreed upon giving her a dowery. 
That the tender love of her grandmother provided 
her with the best of outfit, requires no mention. — 
In the summer of 1840 she paid a farewell visit to her 
relations and friends. Many would not believe that 
the sprightly young girl who enjoyed life so well 
could take such a step ; while others, more intimately 
acquainted with Josepha, recognized the finger of 
God in directing this choice. In the meantime, 
Josepha was confirmed in her purpose to join the 
School Sisters of Xotre Dame, by reading the little 
book of Father Job, on the spirit and object of this 
new community. This little work she highly prized 
all her life-time and unceasingly commended it to 
the Sisters' careful perusal. 
Her farewell to Donauwoerth well merits particular 



60 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

mention ; for here it was that her cradle stood^ when 
she was brought to German soil ; and here she had 
received so many lasting impressions of her happy 
childhood. When she arrived, the Benedictine 
Abbot Celestine lay in state — a corpse. This 
religious, a tall, majestic man, had taken a lively 
interest in the little ^ ^French girl." Many a time 
had he led her by the hand through the large 
convent-garden, amusing himself with her droll 
remarks and childish pranks, or gratifying the naive 
questioner by explaining the antique paintings in 
the long corridors and, above all, by paying due 
regard to her love of ^ ^goodies.'' — Fervently, 
Josepha prayed for the repose of the departed and 
attended the funeral service. Bishop Eeisach 
himself delivered the sermon, deeply affecting all 
present. ^^Evennow,'' said Mother Caroline, ^^it 
seems to me I hear his voice resounding in my ears, 
as, amid tears and sobs, he thus addressed the 
deceased; ^^When a forsaken youth, O my good 
Father, you wrapped me in the mantle of your 
charity, during the cold winter of tribulation, and 
brought me to Eome.'' Josepha, being well 
acquainted with the history of Count Eeisach and 
his family, in his early years, was particularly 
moved and edified at this noble expression of grati- 
tude on the part of the Bishop she so highly 
revered. — She, certainly, could not fail to take leave 
of her first teachers in Donauwoerth — the aged Pater 
IS'arcissus and the worthy old chanter. These good 
men wept with joy on learning her intention, blessed 
her again and again and admonished her to perse- 
vere. They, moreover, gave her many a wholesome 



MOTHER CAROLIlSrE. 61 

advice ; among the rest^ she never forgot the injunc- 
tion of the venerable chanter to rouse herself from 
drowsiness at prayer and meditation by rubbing 
her eye-lids well with spittle. This he declared — 
speaking from experience, no doubt — would keep her 
wide awake and as spry as a rabbit. There was one 
person, however, in this quaint old town, from whom 
the young aspirant to religious perfection received no 
friendly welcome. This was the respectable house- 
keeper of the aged Pater Is^arcissus. She had 
not been particularly fond of little Josepha in former 
years, because the kind-hearted Father had been too 
lavish in supplying the little one with good things 
from her larder. But her dislike for the mischievous 
child reached its climax, when she looked up won- 
deringly to the worthy dame one day and naively 
sputtered out: ^^Do you know what? — you have 
bulb-eyes." Now, on learning Josepha' s intention 
of becoming a Sister, she paid her a compliment, in 
turn, after so long a period, by saying : ' ' You are 
going to enter a convent? Are you, then, convert- 
ed? ' ' Whether the roguish sinner felt great remorse 
of conscience, we are unable to say. 



CHAPTEE IX. 



Departnre from Eichstaedt. — At the Toinb of Bishop 
Wittmann.— Entrance into the Coment. 

At length, the time arrived for Josepha to leave 
her hapj)y home and set out on her journey to 
Neunburg vorm Wald, the cradle of the newly 
re-established Congregation of the School Sisters. 
It was the eve of St. Michael's, the nameday of her 



62 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

Eey. Uncle. He and grandmother Friess ac- 
companied Josepha in a chaise which they had 
engaged for the entire journey, and reached Eatis- 
bonne in the evening. The next morning, Father 
Fiiess took his niece to the magnificent cathedral 
of that city, and, leading her to the tomb of the 
saintly Bishop Wittmann, said in a voice tremulous 
with emotion: ^^My child, I shall now say Holy 
Mass for you. Do you stay here and pray for the 
spirit of the sainted founder.'' And Josepha did 
pray with such fervor and recollection, that her 
uncle, on his return, had to call her away from the 
sacred place. Our travelers spent two days in 
Eatisbonne, visiting their friends, among them, the 
family of Herrn Eduard von Schenk, president of 
the royal cabinet. His daughters were very intimate 
with Josepha, having formed her acquaintance at 
Eichstadt, when visiting their uncle, a cathedral 
canon . One of them Amanda von Schenk , on bidding 
adieu to Josepha, promised soon to follow her to 
the School Sisters. She became a Dominican Kun, 
instead, some time later, but died soon afterwards. 

October 1st, the little party left Eatisbonne, and 
arrived at Xeunburg vorm Wald in the afternoon 
between three and four o'clock. They received a 
very cordial welcome at the house of the Eev. Dean 
Kaess, friend of Father Friess, where a hospitable 
repast was served them. 

Towards evening Josepha' s faithful guardians 
conducted her to the little convent, where she was 
kindly welcomed by Mother Theresa and Eev. Father 
Siegert. She was sixteen years, one month and ten 
days old, probably one of the youngest and cer- 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 63 

tainly tlie most promising of all that ever had 
been received. 

From the tnrmoil of the French Metropolis — from 
the quietude of three little Bavarian towns — we 
behold the young virgin enter the silent little 
cloister at Is^eunburg. Truly, those invisible and 
visible angels that have so faithfully watched over 
her interior and exterior life in the days of her 
childhood and youth, now lead her within these 
poor convent walls, to join a congregation, whose 
support and glory, particulary in the Kew World, 
Divine Providence has destined her to become. 



64 



PART SECOND. 

From her Entrance into the Convent to her Depart- 
ure for America. 1840 — 1847. 

CHAPTEE I. 

The Candidate, 

We now find Josepha at Neunburg vorm "Wald, 
a candidate in the first little convent of the poor 
School Sisters. Poor, indeed, was the little con- 
vent! The sixteen candidates had but one room 
serving the double purpose of study hall and re- 
fectory, besides this a common dormitory. Even 
the chapel was poor ; its greatest treasure was the 
crucifix beneath which the saintly Bishop Witt- 
mann died, exclaiming: ^^I will die beneath the 
cross." When, in 1847, the Sisters departed for 
America, Sister Caroline begged most earnestly to 
take this crucifix with her, but her request could 
not be granted. For the first month, the new can- 
didate kept very quiet, which was, by no means, 
an easy task — because so unnatural to her disposi- 
tion. Still the reason of her reserve was altogether 
in accordance with her firm, determined character. 
^^No one shall know me," said she to herself, ^^in 
case I do not remain. ' ' This period of self-imposed 
silence being over, her natural vivacity asserted 
its rights all the more forcibly. ^^Now it is settled ; 
I will remain" and with all the energy of her soul, 
she embraced the religious life. 




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MOTHER CAROLINE. 65 

Her previous education enabled her to pursue lier 
studies with facility and success. On passing the 
prescribed state examination Oct. 6., 1841, her 
certificate signed by the Eoyal Committee of Ex- 
aminers reads: "1^0. 1— Excellent." Her principal 
instructor was the Eev. Matthias Siegert whom the 
saintly Bishop Wittmann had appointed, on his 
deathbed, to be the spiritual guide and director of 
the Congregation. 

Excellent school-man that he was, he took special 
interest in the thorough training of the promising 
candidate, employing her, at the same time, in teach- 
ing others. Although Josepha was determined to 
acquire the spirit of religious poverty, she found it 
a very difficult task. There, for instance, was the 
convent table. From early childhood she had been 
accustomed to plain, substantial food, such as be- 
comes a Christian household ; but the meals were 
well prepared and tastily served. Besides, her taste 
for dainties had been largely cultivated by her over- 
tender grandmother, whose favorite the lively child 
had ever been. — And now the bill of fare in the 
poor little convent atNeunburg! — consisting chief- 
ly of watersoup, breadsoup, milksoup, with about 
the same variety that our brave soldiers' daily menu 
afforded during the Civil War. Breakfast ; pork, 
beans, molasses. Dinner; beans, pork, molasses. 
Supper; molasses, beans, pork. — Meat was served 
but once a day — and then in quantities scarcely suf- 
ficient to keep alive a faint remembrance of the flesh 
pots of Egypt. One day, Josepha' s portion was 
unusually small. She looked for it very carefully 
— turned it about on her plate— stuck her fork into 



66 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

it^ — andj in a trice, it had gone the way of all flesh. 
The feat J however , was not performed fast enough 
to escape the notice of Sister Bernarda, the direct- 
ress. ^^Miss Josepha/' said the Sister, after din- 
ner — ^^I did not expect such rudeness of you!" ^^O 
Sister'' she replied, ^^the piece was really too small 
to be cut any more.'' Butter, tea and coffee were 
luxuries not to be thought of ; and anything in the 
line of dainties, out of question. Josepha's seat- 
mate was the candidate. Miss Catharine, our present 
Ven. Senior Sister, Mary Edmunda. Although her 
parents were well off, she had not been reared so 
tenderly as Josepha; besides, she belonged to the 
number of those devout souls that season what is un- 
palatable with spicy proverbs and pious phrases. 
Seeing that Josepha did not relish the poor fare, 
plying her spoon very slowly through the insipid 
broth, and making a few halts before it reached her 
mouth, Catharine was wont to nudge her with her 
elbow, saying : ^^For the love of God, Josepha, for 
the love of God", or, ^ ^Josepha, our dear Lord 
drank vinegar and gall." The soup was swallowed, 
of course, but at the expense of both. Josepha's 
naturally weak stomach was impaired for life ; and 
what were the fruits of Catharine's pious exhorta- 
tions, but the j)ointed jokes and mischievous tricks 
of her companion, which she daily had to i)Ocket'? 
Sister Edmunda sends the following lamentation: 
^^JoseiDha was in perpetual motion; French blood 
circulated in her veins ; she was full of youthful 
glee and girlish tricks, took the greatest delight in 
teasing others; myself, ^ ^stupid Katy", especially, 
she singled out for the butt of her endless pranks and 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 67 

jokes ; she called me preacher, and made all sorts 
of game of me. Seated between two snch tricksters, 
— Josepha Friess on one side, Josepha Zimmer- 
mann on the other, I had an excellent opportunity 
of practicing patience the live-long day.'' An edi- 
fying example, indeed, of imperturbable good hu- 
mor, in spite of such miserable fare ! Of course, the 
Superiors, Mother Theresa, in particular, were so 
considerate as to make some little exceptions in 
Josepha' s favor. Very soon it became manifest 
how much our good Katie loved her tormenter ; for 
Katie it was, who brought her the better jDrepared 
soup from the kitchen, without ever betraying the 
secret of her commission. 

Bed and board were equally poor. The greatest 
cleanliness prevailed throughout the convent, but 
comfort was a thing unknown. 

The various domestic emi)loyments i^roved an- 
other difficulty to our young candidate. She had 
not been accustomed to hard work, and now she 
was obliged to split kindling-wood, carry water, 
dig in the garden, haul manure on the wheel-barrow, 
scrub floors, etc. Although tall and stately, she 
possessed but little physical strength, besides, she 
was very awkward in such things ; hence her com- 
panions were not at all anxious to claim her as 
helpmate, when any wearisome work was to be 
done. Her superiors soon perceived that Josepha 
might be more i^rofitably em^Dloyed in teaching and 
directing others in their studies. With all the strict- 
ness of convent discipline, the superiors combined 
that one quality so necessary for the heads of relig- 
ious communities — discretion. 



68 MOTHEE CAROLINE. 

The hardest thing for Josepha, was conventual 
confinement. Think of the gay, light-hearted creat- 
ure, whose exuberant yivacity gave her uncle so 
much trouble in her childhood ! Only four years 
ago, when about to be sent to boarding school, she 
exclaimed : ^^I will not go : I will not be deprived 
of my liberty, — confined like a captive!'' Now she 
is caged in the narrow, lonely little cloister at 
Neunburg ! 

Josepha, it is true, experienced greater happi- 
ness now than ever before, being able to cry out 
with the Psalmist : ^'One thing have I asked of the 
Lord, this will I seek, that I may dwell in the house 
of the Lord all the days of my life.'' Ps. 26, 4. 
Keenly, nevertheless, this blithesome child of 
nature felt the restriction and solitude of the quiet 
cloister. In this respect, also, her jjrudent, thought- 
ful superiors found means of relief. Whenever the 
weather permitted, the candidates took a walk to 
the neighboring woods, where they studied, botan- 
ized, and gathered teas and herbs for medicinal and 
culinary purposes. What Josepha enjoyed most, 
and what was really indispensable for her well-be- 
ing, was the liberty to frolic and skip about, laugh 
and sing to her heart's content. Good Sister Ed- 
munda give^ us an interesting description of these 
woodland excursions. 

^^In our little cloister," she writes, ^^it was very 
quiet, but, when we were taking our walks, noisy 
mirth prevailed. Unknown to the others. Sister 
Csecilia and myself had been appointed monitors, 
but we never reported. ^^It is best," said we, ^^to 
let them have all the fun they want here in the 



MOTHER CAKOLINE. 69 

woods ; then, it will not be so hard for them to keep 
silence in the convent. Poor things ! they are like 
caged birds — with this difference, however, that 
their captivity is voluntary.'' It was no easy task 
to prevail upon the jovial party to return; for they 
always thought the signal was given too soon. These 
excursions were enlivened by many a real ^ ^college 
trick, ' ' in which Josejjha generally figured as leader. 
Xot a berry, not a nut escaped her searching eye. 
On cold days, our walk was limited to the grave- 
yard, where we recited five Pater and Ave, and 
then each sought a secluded spot to study her les- 
sons. Eeverence for this sacred place kept our 
. lively birds from mischief here. One day the sex- 
ton having dug out the skeleton of an infant, our 
brave Josepha asked him for a small bone which 
she reverently wore as a relic. Few and far between 
were the holidays, which we usually spent with the 
Sisters at Schwartzhofen. We started early in the 
morning and made our trip of six miles on foot. 
Father Siegert and Mother Theresa took a car- 
riage; Josepha, being a poor pedestrian, was al- 
lowed to ride with them — a privilege for which 
none of us envied her." 

The best religious spirit prevailed in the little 
convent at Neunburg. All were one heart and soul. 
The spiritual exercises were performed with zeal 
and alacrity. No lengthy instructions were given, 
however, on the religious life. ^^Be good,'' was 
the brief, impressive exhortation of the gentle, 
pious Mother Theresa. 

Josepha daily, more and more, became the fa- 
vorite of the entire house. The superiors were not 



70 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

slow to realize what a treasure the young congre- 
gation had found in her. The Sisters and the 
younger inmates of the house were delighted with 
a companion whose cheerful disposition diffused 
life and sunshine in their circle. True^ her innate 
ruling spirit, as yet not sufficiently regulated, now 
and then gave umbrage to one or the other, for a 
moment, still all were cordially devoted to her. 
Gradually, her health which, in spite of rosy cheeks 
and fine physique, had never been very robust, be- 
gan to cause serious apprehensions. She was sent 
to "Wolfrathshausen for recuperation; — there she 
was made to try the milk-cure. 

Meanwhile, the time drew near when Josepha 
hoped to receive the holy habit. Xot receiving the 
expected summons, she begged the superioress at 
Wolfrathshausen to send her to the Motherhouse. 
The kind Sister, finally, yielded to her entreaties, 
and, on the feast of the Guardian Angels, late in 
the evening when the Convent gates were about to 
be locked, Josepha stood before the door. Father 
Siegert opened it and, in his wonted brisk way, ex- 
claimed. ^^Well, well! but you waited until the 
last moment! Your Guardian Angel must have 
brought you. Make haste, get your supper and 
then come at once to begin your retreat." It was 
ascertained, afterwards, that the letter which was to 
call Josepha for reception, had been miscarried. 




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MOTHER CAROLINE. 71 

CHAPTEE II. 
The Novice. 

The feast of the Nativity of our Blessed Lady, 
Sept. 8th, 1842, was the joyful day on which Josepha, 
with seven companions, received the religious habit, 
and entered the Novitiate of the Poor School Sisters 
of Notre Dame. Sister Edmunda, who was one of 
the seven, has given the writer an account of that 
memorable event. Often did the young novice 
exclaim in the joy of her heart, ^^Oh! this is 
the happiest day of my life!'' ^^It seems'' writes 
Sr. Edmunda, ^^the future Mother Caroline then 
had a foretaste of the great joy she was to prepare 
so many chosen young virgins, from year to year, 
by giving them the religious habit." 

Josepha received the name Mary Caroline, in 
honor of the Et. Eev. Bishop and, later. Cardinal 
August von Eeisach. 

As Bishop of Eichstaedt, this renowned prelate, 
had learned to know and esteem Josepha Friess. 
Combining solidity and firmness of character with 
his uncommonly lively and ardent temperament, he 
beheld his counterpart in Jose^Dha, at least, in some 
measure. Having spent nearly a year in his epis- 
copal residence, he had occasion to observe her 
closely ; besides, he was her confessor and spiritual 
director. It was his keen eye, that foresaw the 
good 'she would accomplish in the new congrega- 
tion of which she was sure to become a prominent 
member. Later, when Archbishop of Munich and 
Cardinal, he ever continued to take a fatherly in- 
terest in Mother Caroline. 



72 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

The name Caroline also drew upon tlie young 
novice tlie favor of King Louis I. of Bavaria. His 
Majesty visiting the Motherhouse one day, Sister 
Caroline "was summoned with the community, to 
pay her respects. ^^Your name is Caroline'?'' said 
the king with evident pleasure. ^ ^Caroline, ah ! that 
is tho name of my mother and my sister.'' We 
shall see in the course of this narrative that the 
royal favor also brought the congregation royal gifts . 

Eemarkable and really providential w^as the cir- 
cumstance that, on the very day of Sister Caroline's 
reception, an American Bishop, whose name how- 
ever is forgotten, called at the convent to obtain 
Sisters for his diocese. The eight novices, in their 
bridal wreaths, were presented; but the time for 
planting a branch of the Order in America had not 
yet arrived. 

Previous to this reception of novices, prepara- 
tions had been made to establish the Motherhouse 
in Munich, instead of Neunburg. In 1841 a house 
was first opened in the ^^Au" (meadow) outside 
the city-limits, then in 1843 the present Mother- 
house was permanently established in the city. 
In the ^^Au" convent, novice Caroline, who had 
spent some time there, when a candidate, was 
chiefly charged with the direction of the boarding 
school, as was also the case afterwards in the city. 
Her pupils were warmly attached to her, and best 
success attended her labors ; but not so favorable 
was the state of her health. Her good grandmother 
paid her a visit and brought her a trunk full of 
useful articles, among the rest, a stocking filled 
with silver crown-pieces. Her superiors full of 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 73 

anxiety on account of her failing healtlij again sent 
her to the country, this time to Kreisbach, where 
she was entrusted to the care of the enlightened and 
saintly Sister Xaveria. She received but slight 
benefit, however; for in the following two years 
her condition was still precarious. 

When at the ^^Au" convent, she was to take 
charge of one of the city schools ; but her French 
origin proved a strong barrier. The Eev. Pastor 
in charge of the school was a fierce enemy of the 
French. Having served as a brave soldier in the 
liberty campaigns, he had learnt to know all the 
calamity Napoleon brought upon the beautiful land 
of Bavaria. Even now, as a priest, he had not yet 
stripped off all his military brusqueness. No sooner 
had he been informed that his new teacher was of 
half French blood than his own began to boil. 
One day he questioned her as to the place of her 
birth. Scarcely had she uttered the word ^^Paris,'' 
in reply, when, with an outburst of indignation, he 
called her a stui)id Frenchman, — and her term of 
teaching at his school was ended. 

Oct. 16th, 1843 the Motherhouse in Munich was 
solemnly opened. The edifice was a venerable old 
cloister of the Poor Clares, built in the 13th century, 
and just repaired for its new occupants. Novice 
Mary Caroline was transferred to this convent, to 
become the directress of the boarding-pupils, 
besides teaching a class in one of the city schools. 
Here the state of her health became more critical 
than ever before. Her dyspex)sia was greatly 
aggravated and symptoms of consumption began 
to show themselves. No effort was spared to restore 



74 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

the patient. She was kindly allowed to accompany 
Mother Theresa on her journeys in the interests of 
the Congregation. As Queen Theresa, with her 
court-ladieSj occasionally paid the School Sisters a 
visit, King Louis also heard of Sister Caroline's 
illness, and, at once, sent his own physician to treat 
her. This was the renowned Doctor von Eingseis, 
who perceived, at a glance, that over-work was 
breaking down her constitution. He, accordingly, 
gave her strict orders only to teach school half a 
day. Besides this alleviation, the practical, royal 
physician prescribed a rather singular course of 
treatment. After school hours in the morning, his 
patient was required to spend a considerable part 
of the afternoon in quite unusual quarters — the cow- 
stable ! The famous doctor felt sure the exhalations 
of the place, would produce a very beneficial effect 
upon her lungs. In this he was not deceived ; the 
symptoms of consumption disappeared, but all the 
more troublesome became her dyspepsia. Every 
remedy appearing ineffectual to restore health to 
the novice so dear to her superiors. Mother Theresa 
concluded to take her to a priest by the name of 
Handwerker, who was said to perform miraculous 
cures. He had, indeed, some years previous cured 
the Yenerable Superioress herself of the same ma- 
lignant malady. This good priest gave Sister 
Caroline the assurance that she would not succumb 
to her disease, as she was destined for something 
higher. "With the good advice never to partake of 
any food without blessing it he dismissed his 
patient. 

Mother Caroline, in recurring to this event, often 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 75 

remarked that she really had little faith in the 
miraculous powers of the Eeverend gentleman, 
whereby she manifested a particular trait of charac- 
ter , to which she remained faithful all her life. 
Mother Caroline had a strong, lively faith. Every 
revealed truth, every doctrine of Holy Church had 
become, as it were, part of her nature. She lived 
in and for God. Her faith in Jesus Christ, her devo- 
tion to Him in His bitter passion and death, and 
in the Most Holy Sacrament, was deep and fervent. 
Childlike and tender was also her veneration of our 
Blessed Lady and all the dear Saints of God ; quite 
a number of them she daily invoked, with unwa- 
vering confidence. Her compassion for the poor 
souls manifested itself in devout prayers and gener- 
ous offerings in their behalf. Full of zeal for the 
propagation of the faith she aided every kind of 
missionary work by liberal donations, even at the 
cost of many a sacrifice. In short, she was a person 
of solid virtue, hence a declared enemy of all affected 
piety, excessive credulity, singularity, fantastic and 
sentimental devotion, never tolerating anything of 
the kind in her subjects. It was her constant 
endeavor to have her spiritual daughters act ui3on 
principles of faith and reason enlightened by relig- 
ious instruction, so as not to be drifted about by 
the fluctuations of the imagination and feelings. She 
insisted upon a clear, determined and resolute mode 
of proceeding in all the exercises of virtue and 
religion. 

The years 1844 and '45 were replete with suffer- 
ings for the young novice. She was always ailing, 
and her condition became so precarious, that Father 



76 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

Siegert frankly told her, ^ ^Sister Caroline you must 
die.". ^^But I do not intend to" was her deter- 
mined reply. 

As might be expected, a novice of such resolute 
character J with so clear a conviction of her religious 
vocation, was not much troubled with homesick- 
ness, doubts and difficulties concerning the choice 
she had made. Through one storm she was obliged 
to pass, however. Her health, as we know, was 
very i)oor, and she was taxed with work beyond 
her strength, yet she could not think of obtaining 
relief, on account of the limited number of Sisters. 
It seemed impossible to continue her laborious 
career. On the point of giving up, she made her 
complaint to Father Siegert. ^^But, indeed, I ap- 
plied to the right one," said Mother Caroline, 
laughing heartily. ^^He gave me a good scolding, 
and the storm was over." 

During her interior struggle, she often had a 
momentary thought of becoming a Carmelite ; but 
never did she falter in her resolve to consecrate 
herself entirely to God. ^^And how could it have 
been iDOSsibleT' she exclaimed, when making this 
statement, ^ ^I loved God with my whole heart ; I 
could not do otherwise. Had I not been told a 
hundred times in my earliest childhood : ' ^My child, 
you must love the good God dearly! " 

Her courage and obedience were put to a singu- 
lar test on a certain occasion during her novitiate. 
Queen Theresa, the great benefactress of the School 
Sisters, lay dangerously ill. As a Prussian princess, 
she had been reared in the Protestant faith. Her 
desire of embracing the true religion was, alas! 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 77 

frustrated ; but even on her deathbed she declared 
her will to die as a Catholic. Prayers were said in 
the Motherhouse for the royal patient by day and 
night. During the hour appointed for Sister Caro- 
line and a companion^ the midnight silence was 
suddenly disturbed by a strange, weird noise in a 
room adjoining the chapel. Both shuddered, and 
the next moment her terrified companion fled from 
her post of duty. Her first impulse was to follow ; 
but, ashamed of her cowardice, she instantly reas- 
sured herself and persevered in prayer. No harm 
could befall her, she thought, while fulfilling her 
duty, even though the unearthly noise should be a 
manifestation of the departed queen. She had been 
sent to pray, and to run away would be against 
obedience. The whole ghost-like occurrence had a 
rather ludicrous issue ; for the nocturnal visitor 
proved to be no other than the convent cat. 



CHAPTER III. 
The Sister. 

In the meantime, the health of the young novice 
had so far improved that she could be admitted to 
her religious profession, having attained her twenty- 
second year, the age required by the Bavarian 
government. This great happiness she enjoyed on 
the feast of St. Theresa, Oct. 15th, 1845. There 
were five novices who celebrated their nuptials with 
the Divine Spouse on this blessed day. They called 
themselves the Five Wounds, and proposed to cast 
lots, in order to determine to which each of the Sacred 
Wounds should belong for special veneration. 



78 MOTHER CAEOLIIS^E. 

Sister Caroline drew the wound of the Sacred Heart, 
much to the chagrin of the pious Sister Edmunda, 
who, besides her disappointment, had also to en- 
dure the quizzing of her fortunate rival ; be it said 
to her credit, however, this quizzing had lost 
much of its former mischief. 

Sister Caroline had not received much spiritual 
direction in the years of her candidature and novi- 
tiate, as she candidly told Father Siegert when 
agitated by a little storm. But had not her ex- 
emplary home-training been a sort of novitiate? 
And had not our Lord himself been her guide, 
granting her the special grace ever to maintain her 
cheerful spirit in all her infirmities and afflictions'? 
A soul that stands the test of sufferings, comes 
forth from the ordeal purified and fortified, even 
though she receive but little direction from human 
guides. 

After her profession, Sister Caroline, as before, 
was chiefly engaged in the boarding-school attached 
to the Motherhouse, which institution was almost 
entirely under her charge. On receiving the con- 
gratulations of her pupils, some of these little 
misses naively remarked: ^^AVhat a pity. Sister 
Caroline wears the black veil now ! Of course, she 
is handsome, after all; but the white veil made 
her look so much prettier." 

The writer regrets his inability to furnish par- 
ticulars which might serve as characteristic features 
of Sister Caroline in her capacity of boarding- 
school directress. 

One little occurrence related by Yen. Mother 
Theophila gives evidence of her tact and winning 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 79 

kindness in directing her pnpils. One day she 
found one of them bathed in tears. ^^What troubles 
you, my child^' inquired Sister Caroline in a sym- 
pathizing tone. ^^O dear Sister/' answered the 
child, ^'I should like so much to join the confrater- 
nity of the Precious Blood, but I have not the ad- 
mission fee." ^^Such tears I love to dry,'' was 
Sister Caroline's reply, — and her joyful pupil was 
admitted to the confraternity. 

On account of her refined manners and adroit- 
ness in managing external affairs, and, particu- 
larly, for the benefit of her health. Mother Theresa 
often had young Sister Caroline accompany her on 
her journeys in the interests of the Order. On one 
of these occasions, their way led to the beautiful 
Eheinpfalz, where King Louis desired the Sisters 
to open a school in a thriving little town called 
Weingarten. The two religious were kindly 
received by the Bishop of Speier and invited to 
lodge in his residence. They also paid their respects 
to the presiding officer of the place. As the Domini- 
can Sisters were well represented in this district, 
the king's offer was respectfully declined. Twelve 
years later. Mother Caroline, in a letter to the king 
from Milwaukee, cleverly reminded him of the kind 
offer he had then made the Congregation, begging 
him now to extend his favor towards establishing 
a convent at Elm Grove, Wis., instead of that 
which kind consideration for another Order would 
not permit Mother Theresa to open at Weingarten. 
Generously, the king comiDlied, sending a donation 
from his own private purse. 

As to the rest, the year 1846 ijassed quietly, 



80 MOTHEE CAROLINE. 

amid incessant labor in the institute and school- 
room. Gradually the memorable year 1847 drew 
near J in which a new^ important era was to open 
for the zealous Sister Caroline. Seven years had 
not yet elapsed, and the child of her providential 
educator's anxious care and joyous hope began her 
eventful missionary career in America. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 81 

PART THIRD. 

Sister Caroline Departs for America (1847). Receives 
her Appointment as Mother Vicar (1850). 

CHAPTER I. 
Preparations for the Journey to America. 

Five years had elapsed since that auspicious 
day on which an American bishop had unexpect- 
edly called at the ^^Au'' convent. The youthful 
Sister Caroline, who had received the religious 
habit on that same beautiful feast of our Lady's 
Nativity, now ranked among the most promising 
School Sisters. Up to this period (1817) the con- 
gregation had established twenty-four houses in 
Europe. The good spirit of the religious and the 
success of their labors, had obtained general favor 
in Southern Europe and spread their name across 
the ocean. In 1832 the Redemptorist Fathers had 
begun their missionary work in the young Church 
of America, particularly among the German Catho- 
lics of the United States. These zealous missiona- 
ries saw the necessity of parochial schools, as the 
only efficient means of ]3reserving the Faith among 
the German immigrants. But where were they to 
find suitable teachers for these schools! 

As most of the Fathers had come from the 
southern part of Germany, especially from Bavaria, 
it is not surprising that they turned their attention 
to this young congregation in their native land. 
Thus they became chosen instruments in the 
hands of God, to introduce the School Sisters into 
America at a time when their services were most 



82 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

needed, on account of the great scarcity of German 
teachers. The good Fathers had houses of their 
Order not only in Baltimore, New York, Philadel- 
l^hia and other large cities, but they had also 
taken charge of a mission in the wilds of Pennsyl- 
vania. This was a settlement in Elk County, 
called St. Mary's. Three wealthy gentlemen had 
purchased the land for the purpose of forming a 
purely German Catholic Colony. Unfortunately, 
they had not made a good selection of soil. The 
poor colony could not thrive, in fact, the impover- 
ished state to which it was soon reduced, obliged 
many of the disappointed immigrants to abandon 
the settlement. At the instance of the Eedemp- 
torist Fathers, one of the three gentlemen was sent 
to Bavaria by the Et. Eev. Michael O'Connor, first 
bishop of Pittsburg, to obtain School Sisters for 
the colony. Being a nobleman, well acquainted 
with the royal court, as also with the Most Eev. 
Archbishop of Munich, Count Eeisach, he found it 
no difficult matter to interest these illustrious 
parties in St. Mary's Colony. Thus, too, he gained 
his cause with the superiors of the School Sisters. 
King Louis, however, made it a condition that none 
but volunteers among the Sisters should be sent 
on this foreign mission. It was deemed proper, 
moreover, that most of these volunteers should be 
elderly and experienced Sisters. Mother Theresa, 
herself, desired to conduct them to their new field 
of labor, taking with her a traveling companion, 
who, after the lapse of a year, was to accompany 
her on her return voyage to Euroi)e. 

The missionaries were to be only such as volun- 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 83 

teered to remain for life. There were four who 
applied : — Sisters M. Seraphina, M. Magdalena, M. 
Barbara and^ as the Benjamin of the party, M. 
Caroline, not yet twenty three years of age. This 
choice on the part of the young Sister, so resolute 
and courageous, does not appear surprising, and 
truly, if we look back upon her blessed career in 
America, we must behold the finger of God in her 
choice. Her fatherly friend and guide, Archbisho}) 
Eeisach, was greatly rejoiced, when informed of 
her determination. With his penetrating eye and 
warm heart, he always took an active interest in 
the young Church of America, encouraging able 
priests, such as the late Archbishop Heiss, to 
devote themselves to the American missions. In 
regai'd to his youthful protegee, this enlightened 
prelate felt convinced that a field of labor would 
be open to Sister Caroline for which Divine Provi- 
dence had fully iDrepared her. 

Her good and pious Uncle, too, was pleased with 
the magnanimous resolve of his niece. He earnestly 
remonstrated, however, treating her x3roject with an 
air of diffidence, as though he considered it a 
momentary impulse of her ardent nature, or 
ascribed it to i)ride and levity. ^^What you wish 
to undertake in America," said His Eeverence, 
^^you can do as well here. To serve yoiir God and 
Savior in laboring for the salvation of children, 
you need not go to a foreign country. Do not be 
so visionary. ' ' 

Her affectionate grandmother was spared the 
pain of separation, for she had died shortly after 
her visit to her loved one in 1844. 



84 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

Meanwhile, preparations were actively made for 
the departure of the first School Sisters to Americaj 
in which even King Louis took an active part. 
His Majesty generously made the missionaries 
many j)resents, among the rest, a purse of several 
thousand florins. The court chaplain, Eev. 
Ferdinand Mueller, contributed valuable and 
durable articles for the Sisters' chapel in the New 
World. The wealthy relatives of Sister Seraphina, 
Baroness von Pronath, donated costly dress-goods 
in silk and damask, of which chasubles were to be 
made. The King also sent Dr. Eingseis to give 
them sanitary prescriptions and a traveling apothe- 
cary for their sea voyage. All the Bavarian con- 
suls through whose districts the travelers were to 
pass, received instructions to show greatest atten- 
tion to these beloved ^ ^children of the fatherland' \ 
The royal chaplain provided them with a conse- 
crated altar-stone, which he entrusted to the 
special care of Mother Caroline. Heavy as the 
stone was, it scarcely ever passed out of her hands, 
and at night she placed it under her pillow. Even 
during the last days of her illness, Mother Caroline 
was concerned for this stone, begging the narrator, 
on Good Friday, to look after it in the high altar of 
the convent chapel. As it had been removed from 
the old altar to the new, she was anxious lest some 
of the relics might have been disturbed. Gratefully 
did she prize a chalice, richly embossed with 
silver, in the Eoman style, which was also a 
present from the revered court chaplain. It is the 
so-called ^ ^Sunday chalice" of the Motherhouse. 
A very small monstrance, at present the 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 85 

reliquary enshrining a particle of the holy cross, 
was equally dear to Mother Caroline, for it was the 
gift of the same generous benefactor, and, besides, 
the lamented Dr. Salzmann had often used it for 
Corpus Christi processions on his numerous 
country-missions or collection-tours in the early 
hard times of Wisconsin. Eeligious reverence and 
grateful piety were traits deeply stamped on the 
noble character of our sainted Mother. 



CHAPTEE II. 

Sister Caroline's Departure for America. — Painful Leaye- 
taking from her Mother, 

At length, the time appointed for the departure 
of the brave volunteers from their happy convent 
home at Munich arrived. This ever memorable 
day was June 18, 1847. On the day previous, 
Sister Caroline was made the central figure of a 
farewell scene, which King Louis, shortly after 
engaged an able artist to reproduce in a beautiful 
oil painting still preserved, it is said, in one of the 
Munich art -galleries. This scene was the Sisters' 
farewell to their boarding pupils and school 
children, the fair young Sister Caroline forming 
the central figure in a group of children warmly 
attached to her. 

From Munich, the Sisters traveled to Bremen, 
where they were to board the new steamer ' ^AYash- 
ington/' the first time bound for America. With 
pleasurable emotion. Mother Caroline ever 
cherished the name of the steamer in which she 
first sped across the briny waters to the ISTew World. 



86 MOTHER CAEOLINE. 

Having left Munich at four o'clock A. M., June 
18, the little party proceeded as far as Eichstaedt, 
where a short stop was made, chiefly through 
regard for Sister Caroline's relatives. Thus far, 
the good and faithful Father Siegert accompanied 
the travelers, deeply regretting that he could not 
himself become a zealous missionary in the new 
world, as Archbishop Eeisach would not consent 
to his departure. During their short stay at Eich- 
staedt, the Sisters were the guests of the Benedic- 
tine K'uns at the convent of St. Walburga. 

Great was the joy of these good religious once 
again to behold their former pujnl in the courageous 
missionary. Sister Caroline, and greater still, the 
joy of the latter, in calling to mind the sweet 
memories of those five hajDpy years, during which 
she had been the fond object of her devoted teachers' 
hopes and cares. Every nook of those pleasant 
cloister shades in which she had enjoyed so many 
a sport and played so many a trick, was revisited. 
The f olloAving day all received Holy Communion at 
the tomb of St. Walburga, that heroic virgin who, 
through love of Jesus, had left everything dear — 
her happy home and native land — to expose herself 
to the dangers of a long sea voyage, in the same 
holy cause to which these missionaries were 
devoted. Their pleasant stay with the Benedictines 
became very painful in the end by the necessary 
exchange of the religious habit for secular dress, to 
be worn on their voyage. Painful, too, was their 
adieu to Father Siegert, who now returned to 
Munich. Sister Caroline was particularly devoted 
to this worthy priest. She not only revered him 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 87 

for his talents and virtues, but a lasting debt of 
gratitude endeared Mm to lier memory. Father 
Siegert had, by no means, shown her too much 
tenderness and spoiled her; the solidity of his 
character was proof against aught of the kind. 
But, "with a just estimation of her uncommon 
endowments, he had always taken a particular 
interest in her welfare. Ofttimes, in later years, 
did Mother Caroline give expression to her grati- 
tude in speaking of this zealous Spiritual Director 
of the School Sisters, who died in the year 1879. 
With enthusiasm she was wont to recount 
his merits to the narrator, in defending the 
Sisters' rights, ^^with the courage of a lion", 
especially when there was any trouble with the 
government. 

Painful in the extreme, was Sister Caroline's 
separation from her relatives. Her parents, her 
sisters Adolphina and little Walburga, but seven 
years old ; her brothers Frederic and George, came 
to the convent with their Eev. Uncle, to bid fare- 
well. All would have transpired without sensa- 
tion, had not the strange deportment of her mother 
given rise to a most painful scene, which can only 
be explained as a violent conflict of feelings. Mrs. 
Friess, as we know, had never given her consent 
to «Tosepha's entering a convent, and much more 
was she opposed to her going to America ; still she 
came to Eichstaedt to see her daughter once more. 
Her maternal love, however, triumphed not so far 
as to soften her heart altogether. She spoke not a 
word to her child, who knelt at her feet, bathed in 
tears. Eesisting all her tender pleadings, she gave 



8S MOTHER CAROLINE. 

her no blessing — no embrace, no parting kiss. Was 
tMs speecliless sorroAY! was it wounded prided — 
Be that as it may, mother and daughter, who had 
long been separated in a manner really singular, 
yet clearly providential, never ceased to love each 
other. Even on her death-bed, thirteen years later 
the dying mother declared that Josepha was her 
pride and consolation. When, in 1885, Mother 
Caroline once more met her brothers and sisters in 
Europe, her undying affection for her mother again 
and again prompted her to speak of the dear 
departed, inducing her younger sisters and brothers 
to relate the circumstances of her last illness and 
death, for which she had prepared like a devout 
Christian. — 

Bidding adieu to the kind Benedictines, who, 
amid well- wishes and the promise of i3rayers,also 
donated a good supply of the miraculous oil of St. 
Walburga, the Sisters, now attired in the garb of 
seculars, pursued their route from Eichstaedt, 
through Bamberg, Leipzig, Altenburg and Han- 
nover, to Bremen, where they arrived June 24, 
feast of St. John the Baptist. 

^^On the same day", as we read in Mother 
Seraphina's account of the voyage,'' ^'we embarked 
in a steamer on the Weser and steered into the K^orth 
Sea, where we soon found ourselves on board the 
grand American Steamer, Washington, starting on 
our ocean trip. On the third day, we were in the 
English Channel, and obliged to land at Southamp- 
ton, because our new steam-ship, about to cross 
the Atlantic for the first time, required some repair 
of machinery.-' 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 89 

This caused a long and tedious delay in the 
strange British Seaport. Not till the 12th of July, 
after a stay of fifteen days, could the steamer 
launch out once more. Our lively Sister Caroline 
did her utmost to beguile the weary hours for her- 
self and companions. Not to lose time, she 
studied English, also homeopathy which she had 
begun at home. Meanwhile, Mother Theresa accom- 
panied by the gentleman above mentioned, whom 
Bishop O'Connor had sent to Europe for the 
Sisters, made a trip to London, where, in course of 
time. School Sisters also established several houses. 
Sister Seraphina, the ever active, busy little mother 
of after years, felt this weariness more than all the 
rest. To employ herself, somehow, she packed 
and repacked their traveling effects, one way 
to-day and another to-morrow. One day, the before 
mentioned silk garments came to hand. Wearing 
secular dress, as it was, she thought she might as 
well don the old-time finery once again and see 
how those stylish lady-suits would become her. 
Quick, as she always was, she suited her actions to 
her thoughts, and soon found herself gracefully 
promenading up and down the room in her fancy 
costume — whether before or behind the mirror, 
history does not inform us. — Suddenly, the door 
opens, and Mother Theresa, just returned from 
London, appears on the scene. — It was fortunate for 
the fine little lady that her serious Mother Superior 
had, by no means, lost all taste for the comic, and 
suspected the roguish Sister Caroline as the chief 
promoter of this momentary revival of vanities 
long since abjured. 



90 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

Finally^ on the 12tli of July, the Washington 
steamed out of port; but alas! the joy of our 
travelers was of short duration ; for already during 
the first night, orders were given to return to 
Southampton. Danger threatened anew. A mixture 
of lime with the coal was injuring the boiler-grates. 
Only on the third day of this new delay — July 15thj 
after a fresh supply of better coal had been laid in, 
the steamer once again launched out into the deep. 
Henceforth, the voyage was prosperous; but our 
travelers did not escape that most distressing con- 
comitant of those who ride upon the rolling billows 
— sea- sickness. Mother Theresa and her youthful 
attendant, Sister Emmanuela, were the chief 
sufferers. 



CHAPTEE III. 

Arriyal in America.— The First Sacrifice. — Death of 
Sister Einmanuela, Attendant of Mother Theresa. 

On the feast of St. Ignatius, July 31st, 1847, the 
first School Sisters of Notre Dame landed in New 
York. It was towards noon. The Bavarian Con- 
sul received them with every mark of respect and 
paid them the kindest attention. As soon as 
possible, they repaired to the church of the 
Eedemptorist Fathers on Third street, to offer most 
fervent thanksgiving for the Divine Protection on 
their journey. The next morning, they enjoyed 
the happiness of assisting at Holy Mass and 
receiving the Sacraments. The Eev. Father Eump- 
ler was then Superior of this mission. On meeting 
the new-comers, he addressed Sister Caroline in 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 91 

these forcible terms: ^^Yoa^ young Sister^ remain 
with Godj the holy and the just. You are here in 
Sodom and Gomorrah.'' 

The reception of the School Sisters in 'New York 
was, by no means, encouraging. Eeports given 
them of St. Mary's, the place of their destination, 
were, in particular, very unfavorable. The colony 
was not only said to be extremely poor, as yet, but 
without better prospects for the future. The Sisters 
were even advised to return to Europe. But, truly, 
no God-confiding Mother Theresa, nor heroic Sister 
Caroline could have been among them, in that case. 
After a short repose, as far as the excessive heat 
allowed, the party joarneyed onward to Philadel- 
phia. Instead of directly proceeding to St. Mary's 
from this city, it was deemed advisable first to go 
to Baltimore, where Mother Theresa hoped to 
receive reliable information as to the condition of 
the colony. In this she did not succeed, however; 
indeed, the good Mother was rather confirmed in 
her opinion that there was something wrong, of 
which she was studiously kept ignorant. As the 
narrator's intention is simply to write a modest 
sketch of Mother Caroline's life and character, it 
does not seem proper to enter into any particulars 
on this subject; suffice it to say, that Mother 
Theresa, with all the quiet firmness of her charac- 
ter, insisted on going to St. Mary's, in spite of her 
own misgivings and the dissuasions of others, 
rather intimated than expressed. She met with 
disappointment, it is true, but through no fault of 
her own and absolutely none on the part of the 
Eedemptorist Fathers. Where the fault lay, 
belongs not to this narration. 



92 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

But sadder than all the difficulties and anxieties 
attending this first journey of the School Sisters in 
America, was one affliction that rendered it ever 
painfully memorable. This was the death of 
Sister Emmanuela — still a novice. The young Sister 
had received an excellent education, and bade fair 
to become a most promising member of the Con- 
gregation. After her sufferings on the ocean, the 
oppressive heat of New York brought on a malig- 
nant dysentery. Somewhat restored, she arrived 
at Baltimore, where she had a relapse so severe 
that she received the last Sacraments. Mother 
Theresa, about to proceed on the journey to St. 
Mary's, had intended to leave her in Baltimore in 
charge of a Sister ; her physician, however, declared 
her sufficiently restored to join the party, without 
danger. Alas ! he was greatly deceived. At first 
all appeared favorable, as long as they could travel 
by railway ; but when the jostling of the stage- 
coach began, the little strength of the poor young 
Sister was soon exhausted. Sister Caroline con- 
stantly supported the loved sufferer in her arms. 
When the stage, finally, halted before the hotel in 
Harrisburg, between six and seven o'clock, P. M., 
life was well-nigh extinct. The Sister was icy-cold 
— bathed in the sweat of death — unconscious. A 
priest was hastily summoned but, before he arrived, 
she had breathed her last. Her corpse was laid 
out at the hotel, as well as circumstances permitted. 
''The dear departed", as is stated in the account of 
the journey, '^whoweptso bitterly on exchanging 
her garments at Eichstaedt, was the first again to be 
vested in the holy habit. Sorrowfully, we followed 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 93 

her remains to their final resting place, which sad 
duty, circumstances rendered all the more painful. 
Truly, no one can form any idea of all that we 
suffered in passing through the public streets of 
that non-Catholic place, in our worn traveling 
suits, exposed to the gaze of a curious crowd." 
Amid sobs and tears, our dying Mother Caroline 
still spoke of the dear, young Sister Emmanuela's 
death under these painful circumstances. For her, 
in particular, it was rendered memorable in a truly 
appalling manner. While none of the mourning 
party allowed themselves any repose in that night 
of deepest sorrow, Sister Caroline had obtained 
I)ermission to watch or, rather, to pray and weep 
by the corpse all night. The hands of the departed 
were folded on her breast, clasping her crucifix. 
Suddenly, in the dead silence of the night, they 
slipped apart, and one arm sank slowly down by 
her side. It required all the courage of a Sister 
Caroline not to shriek aloud. "With loving 
reverence she replaced the arm and folded her 
hands as before, regaining sufficient composure to 
continue her prayers. On account of the great 
heat, the interment had to take place on the follow- 
ing morning. It was during these funeral services 
that the School Sisters had the first experience of 
the sympathy shown by Americans to those in 
affliction. In church and in the grave-yard, the 
kind attendance of the public, even of the town and 
state officials, was very consoling to these bereaved 
foreigners. 

^^Thus deprived of one dear traveling com- 
panion," the account continues, ^^we again set out, 



94 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

in the name of God, to pursue our journey. After 
three days, we found ourselves in the outskirts of 
a primeval forest of Pennsylvania, still infested 
with rattle-snakes, bears and wolves. The roads 
were almost impassable, on account of the deep 
mud, huge stones, up-rooted and decaying trunks 
of trees. For two days we struggled onward 
through this gloomy wilderness, in open wagons, 
rough boards for our seats, exposed to the most 
unmerciful jolting, to storms, pouring rain and 
every imaginable inconvenience that we had never 
before experienced.'' 

As far as Youngstown, they had been riding on 
a canal-boat, at a snail's pace ; and more endurable 
were the hum and bites of swarming mosquitoes 
than the vulgar talk and manners of the rude 
passengers. At Youngstown, they engaged an 
emigrant- wagon which was, of course, a new 
torture for the exhausted travelers ; but, after all, 
there was some comfort in that miserable, jolting 
vehicle. Would it not bring them to St. Mary's^ 
The shades of evening were gathering when the 
driver apprised them of their near approach to the 
place of destination. With a sigh of grateful relief, 
Mother Theresa gave orders to alight from the 
wagon, and, retiring a short distance into the 
woods, they had the long-desired gratification once 
again to vest themselves in their religious habit. 
All felt the solemnity of the occasion. They were 
about to enter St. Mary's, their first home in the 
New World, and that on Mary's greatest feast — her 
glorious Assumption. During the day, they had 
sought to comj)ensate for Divine Service, so sadly 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 95 

missed, by prayers and hymns, as far as their 
great fatigue and depression of spirits would allow, 
lij'ow, they joyfully blessed their Heavenly Pro- 
tectress for their safe arrival. Having resumed 
their seats in the emigrant-wagon, again clad in 
the cherished livery of St. Mary's daughters, joy of 
heart and cheerfulness of spirit gained the ascen- 
dency over their sorrows and sufferings of the last 
days. Late in the evening, toward nine o'clock, 
they reached St. Mary's — ^^Marytown". 



CHAPTER lY. 



St. Mary's— Sister Caroline Opens the First School of the 
Sisters in America. 

But where was the town? ^^It required some 
time," says the written account, ^ ^before we could 
persuade ourselves that this was really our destina- 
tion. We saw no regularly built houses, nor leaved 
streets ; naught but stumps of trees lined our way 
on either side. But there could be no mistake 
about the place ; the poor colonists came from 
every direction to extend us a most joyful, hearty 
welcome, invoking blessings upon us. We soon 
reached our poor little frame house, where we were 
kindly received by the Eedemx)torist Fathers, and 
then conducted to the church close by, to receive 
the Benediction of the Most Holy Sacrament. 
Fervently we returned thanks for our safe arrival, 
after our long and wearisome journey, and recom- 
mended ourselves to the protection of our Heavenly 
Mother."— 

And now Sister Caroline was really in America 



96 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

— on her first mission in the wild woods of Penn- 
sylvania. Truly, a smaller beginning of a grand 
career could hardly be imagined! After enjoying a 
little rest and fitting up their wretched dwelling, 
as well as circumstances allowed, the Sisters spent 
three days in retreat, to renew themselves in spirit, 
and then began their missionary duties. Sister 
Caroline had the honor to be the very first School 
Sister engaged in an American school. She took 
charge of the school hitherto taught by the 
very competent Eedemptorist Brother Xavier. The 
school-house was a miserable log- cabin ; the 
children, pitiably poor and needy. In tattered 
clothing — hunger and want stamped upon their 
features, they sat before their stately teacher. 
What a change! She, the highly educated 
directress of a boarding school in a royal city of 
Europe — now teaching in a back -wood log-house. 
Her noble heart thought not of this change, but 
of the poor children, extending them her motherly 
care and affection. Whatever her own poverty 
allowed her to dispose of, in the line of food and 
clothing, she eagerly gave her poor pupils. They 
were good and grateful children, whose tender 
hearts were quickly won by their loving teacher. 
In the poor little convent, Sister Caroline shared 
all the bitter poverty of her companions. It 
took a fortnight to bring flour from the nearest 
mill ; hence it was not a rare occurrence to be out 
of bread. Sometimes, indeed, cucumbers were the 
only eatables to be had — and these without pepper 
and salt. Although the kind Eedemptorist Fathers 
were always ready to lend assistance, the Sisters 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 97 

often had not wherewith to satisfy their hunger. 
Sister Mary (Barbara) fell dangerously ill. This 
season of want was not, however, to be of long 
duration for Sister Caroline. As soon as Mother 
Theresa clearly understood the state of affairs, she 
began to look about for a more suitable place 
to establish a motherhouse. With the aid of 
the saintly Father Neumann, this was found 
in Baltimore, adjoining the church of St. James, 
which belonged to the Eedemptorists. September 
29th, Mother Theresa left St. Mary's, with Sister 
Caroline and Sister Magdalena, and reached 
Baltimore on the 4th of October. Sisters Seraphina 
and Mary remained at St. Mary's. 

On the 3rd of November following. Sister Caroline 
took charge of St. Alphonsus' School at a 
considerable distance from St. James', where she 
was stationed. St. Michael's, another parochial 
school of the Eedemptorists, was also conducted 
by Sisters from St. James' convent. On taking 
charge of these schools. Mother Theresa at once 
wrote to Munich for another band of missionaries, 
which arrived at Baltimore on the feast of the 
Annunciation, 1848. Of these eleven Sisters, only 
three are still among the living, — Ven. Mother 
Theophila, Ven. Sisters Edmunda and Zita. 

In the beginning of April, Sister Caroline held 
the first public examination at St. Alphonsus' 
School and, shortly after, undertook along journey 
w^ith Mother Theresa, in order to visit places from 
which proposals had come for establishing branch- 
houses. Father Neumann, who was soon to become 
a man of Providence for the rising Congregation in 



98 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

America and, more in i)articular, in behalf of Mother 
Caroline^ conducted the travelers on this interesting, 
yet wearisome visitation tour, of which the chroni- 
cle in the Milwaukee Motherhouse gives the 
following account: — ^^The travelers first proceeded 
to Pittsburg, where, in compliance with the Et. 
Eev. Bishop's desire, an agreement was made to 
establish a branch-house The plans for a school- 
building and Sisters' dwelling were drawn up, and 
St. Michael's Day, 1848, appointed for the opening. 
From Pittsburg, they directed their course, by way 
of Detroit, to Milwaukee. In the absence of the Et. 
Eev. Bishop, who had left for Europe in February, 
nothing definite could, however, be determined, in 
regard to introducing the School Sisters into his 
diocese. 

In all the dangers and hardships of this journey, 
by land and water, Father Neumann showed him- 
self a true friend and protector. He employed 
every opportunity to teach Sister Caroline English, 
and found her a very docile, attentive pupil. As a 
most ef&cient means of learning to speak the 
language, he recommended humility, in not mind- 
ing to be laughed at, when making mistakes. One 
day the boat on which they were, i3roceeded very 
slowly, on account of low water. Father Neumann, 
seated on deck, had fallen asleep. Some mis- 
chievous boys, meanwhile amused themselves by 
making crosses with chalk on the back of his coat. 
Ven. Sister Caroline only noticed this when the 
boys were through, and begged the good Father, on 
his awaking, to allow her to brush them off. ^^It 
is not necessary, ' ' he coolly replied, ^ ^they will rub 



MOTHER CAROLINE 99 

off themselves by and by . ' ' For several years, Father 
IS^eumann was confessor and spiritual director of 
the School Sisters, and he ever remained their 
enlightened counselor, till his accession to the 
episcopal see of Philadelphia. The religious spirit 
had become a second nature to him, and, like our 
founder. Bishop Wittmann, he well knew how to 
foster it in others. Truly, this man served as an 
instrument in the hands of Divine Providence, to 
establish and propagate the Order of School Sisters 
in the United States. Justly may we revere him 
as our founder in America. ' ' 

When the first steps were taken in the process 
of his beatification, no one was more rejoiced than 
Mother Caroline. Eagerly she obeyed the summons 
to Philadelphia, to give her testimony before the 
Committee of Investigation. She loved to speak of 
the opportunity thus afforded her of expressing 
her gratitude and veneration for the saintly man, 
though, of course, strictly guarding secrecy con- 
cerning the i)roceedings. 

In the latter part of June, Mother Theresa and 
Sister Caroline returned to Baltimore; but the 
Sisters' joy at this reunion was to be of short 
duration. Mother Theresa received a letter 
informing her that her presence was required in 
Munich. Before leaving America, she appointed 
Mother Seraphina Superioress, as was due her rank. 
Sister Caroline, however, received the important 
charge of managing all external affairs, — superin- 
tending schools already established, opening new 
schools, in course of time etc. By this arrange- 
ment Mother Theresa proved the great confidence 



100 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

slie placed in Sister Caroline, as well as the correct- 
ness of her jugdment. 



CHAPTEE Y. 
Sister Caroline Establishing* Schools. 

At the time of Mother Theresa's return to 
Europe, our Congregation had four schools in 
America; one at St. Mary's, three at Baltimore, — 
St. James', St. Alphonsus' and St. Michael's. In 
quick succession, schools were next opened at 
Pittsburg, Philadelphia and Buffalo. For all these 
important missions, the School Sisters owe a lasting 
debt to the Eedemptorist Fathers, more especiallj^ 
to the saintly Bishop Keumann ; but the success of 
the pioneer Sisters in charge of these schools, was 
chiefly due to the intelligent management of Sister 
Caroline. 

September 21st, 1848, she opened St. Peter's 
School in Philadelphia, where she remained for a 
time actively engaged in teaching. At that period, 
the old City of Brotherly Love was, by no means, a 
model in regard to morals. On the contrary, corrup- 
tion was so general, even among the young, that an 
innocent child was a rather rare exception. Mother 
Caroline and the Sisters united their efforts with 
those of the zealous Eedemptorists, to rescue these 
poor children from the dangers besetting them on 
every side. 

The excitement against Catholics in those 
^^Knownothing" years was so great that the Sisters 
could not wear their religious habit, and, even in 
their modest citizen dress, they were occasionally 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 101 

ridiculed and pelted ^rith mud. It was, doubtless, 
on account of this general moral depravity that a 
certain eccentric devotee deemed it her duty to put 
the fair, young Sister Caroline on her guard. The 
pious so 111 might have saved herself the trouble, 
however, considering the good Sister's innate love 
of purity and her utter detestation of everything 
low and vulgar. Suddenly oiDcning the school- 
room door, she would cry out: ^'Sister Caroline, 
Sister Caroline, take care! Even the cedars of 
Lebanon have fallen.'' One day Mother Caroline 
nearly became the victim of a neighbor woman's 
jealousy. Just as she was coming from her school- 
room to the Sisters' house, she suddenly heard a 
loud cry on the street. Glancing out of the window, 
she beheld a good woman of the neighborhood, 
falling to the ground, with a gaping wound in her 
head, close by the Sisters' garden-gate. A wildly 
excited woman, who had inflicted this bleeding 
wound, hastilj" ran away from the spot, when she 
saw what she had done. Sister Caroline soon 
ascertained that she, herself, had unconsciously been 
the cause of this cruel deed. The poor victim had 
heard that her suspicious neighbor intended to 
inflict an injury on the good Sister, because she 
foolishly imagined her husband to be in love with 
the unsuspecting ^^]N"un" who knew neither the 
one nor the other. Seeking to warn and defend 
Sister Caroline, the good neighbor had herself fallen 
a victim to this infuriated woman. With such 
surroundings and amid such depravity, we may 
imagine how many difficulties and anxieties 
attended the office of the first Superioress at Phila- 



102 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

delpMa. Her prudence and courage well fitted her, 
howeverj for the difficult position. The gradual 
but thorough change wrought among the Philadel- 
phians, is a living proof of the blessings attending 
the zealous labors of the Eedemptorist Fathers, and 
those of the School Sisters, in the spirit of their first 
Superioress. During her stay in Philadelphia, 
Mother Caroline again narrowly escaped from 
imminent danger of death. Passion Week, in 1849, 
had come, and the Sisters had to prepare the Holy 
Sepulchre, and also to make wreaths for the 
children that were to receive their first Holy Com- 
munion on Low Sunday. They were obliged to 
devote a part of the night to this task. Once Sister 
Caroline was at work much later than all the rest. 
As it was very cold, she had made a good fire. 
By and by, weary eyes refuse their service. — 
She suddenly awakes, and it is high time, indeed ; 
for a burning coal, falling out of the stove, has set 
her habit on fire. A moment more, and she would 
have been enveloped in flames. 

September 29, 1848, the school of St. Philomena's 
Parish, in Pittsburg, was opened, according to the 
agreement made with Mother Theresa, previous to 
her departure. In this city. Sister Caroline had 
the consolation to find a much better state of things 
than in Philadelphia. Children were well-behaved 
and of good morals. She soon had the happiness 
to receive candidates from the best families of the 
congregation, some of whom still number among 
the most faithful and worthy members of our com- 
munity. 

On the feast of St. Joseph, 1849, St. Mary's 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 103 

School in the Eedemptorists' parish, Buffalo, 5f . Y. 
was opened. Here the people were very good, but 
rather rude and uncouth. As Mother Caroline, 
with all her refinement, had a relish for everything 
odd and comical, she cherished many a pleasant 
reminiscence of the good, simple - hearted 
Buffalonians. 

Already in 1849, the Sisters left their first little 
convent at St. Mary's, Pa. In spite of the disap- 
pointment they had met with, in spite of the great 
want they constantly endured, they would have 
remained in their first poor house, if the Eedemp- 
torist Fathers had not given up their mission. 
When they left, Sister Seraphina, the Superioress, 
thought the Sisters could stay no longer. Although 
fully justified in leaving^ they incurred the dis- 
pleasure of the Bishop of Pittsburg, who, in his 
anger, reproached them with having deceived him. 
Only through the tact of Sister Caroline, the young 
Congregation succeeded in regaining the favor of 
the great Bishop O'Connor^ its first and ever faith- 
ful patron in America. Having heard of the 
Bishop's displeasure, her heart was rather heavy, 
when she called to pay him her respects, on her next 
visit to Pittsburg. 

It is true. Father Seelos, a Eedemi)torist whom 
the Bishop very highly esteemed, had assured her 
that all would pass well ; but when she knelt before 
the Bishop, he poured forth a volley of forcible 
words over her lowly bowed head. In a medley of 
German and English, the excited Prelate gave her 
a severe lecture for leaving St. Mary's so suddenly, 
without consulting him. He, himself, had invited 



104 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

the Sisters into his diocese ! He had promised the 
German colonists German Sisters. And now he, 
their Bishop, must appear a deceiver in their eyes. 
With perfect composure Sister Caroline listened to 
the lengthy harangue^ and uttered not a word in 
reply. At its conclusion, however, she respectfully 
lifted up her dark, expressive eyes, and in the 
calmest manner thus addressed him: ^^Eight 
Eeverend Father, for all you have said, I am 
not to blame. I did not remove the Sisters from 
St. Mary's. I was not even aware of their intention 
to leave. I beg your pardon for those who have 
caused you this displeasure." In an instant, the 
Bishop was changed. The imposing calmness of 
the young religious moved him^ and, from that time 
forth, the learned and zealous first Bishop of Pitts- 
burg was one of the most faithful friends of the 
School Sisters, particularly, of Mother Caroline. 

Although the people of Pittsburg were kindly 
disposed toward the Sisters, they had to struggle 
with bitter want and privation. At times, they 
were even obliged to go to school without any 
other breakfast than bread and water. In spite of 
this poverty, the generous Sister Caroline was 
anxious to prepare some little Christmas gifts for 
the poor children. To accomplish this, she had to 
sacrifice her night's rest ; yes, she scarcely undressed 
for nearly a week, in order to find the necessary 
time for this work of love. The result was such 
drowsiness in school, that she could hardly be on 
her feet. Some naughty children, noticing this, 
made fun of her. She smiled and said within her- 
self : '^Yes, dear children, if you only knew that 
this is all on your account." 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 105 

In the meantime, things began to take a course 
that was to exercise a decisive influence over the 
future prosperity of the School Sisters and the 
whole career of Mother Caroline. 



CHAPTEK YI. 



Sister Caroline's First Yoyage to Europe in the Interests 
of the American Missions. 

The Episcopal See of Milwaukee was established 
in 1844, with Et. Eev. J. M. Henni, as first Bishop. 
To open Catholic Schools, was a chief concern of 
this apostolic man. No sooner had he heard of the 
arrival of School Sisters in America than he 
resolved, not only to secure some of these religious 
for his diocese, but, moreover, to induce them to 
establish a motherhouse in Milwaukee, Bishoj) 
Henni foresaw that the West, especially Wisconsin, 
would become the center of attraction for the 
German j)opulation of this country. Hence, he 
delayed not to enter into an agreement with Mother 
Theresa. When on his journey to Europe in 1848, 
he purposely traveled by way of Baltimore, to 
confer with the Venerable Superioress, personally, 
on this subject. The latter was evidently in favor 
of the project, as she soon afterwards traveled to 
Milwaukee, with Sister Caroline, as before stated. 
During the Bishop's sojourn in Europe, Mother 
Theresa returned to Munich, whereupon the Et. 
Eev. Prelate not only urged his case with her and 
Father Siegert, but even with the School Sisters' 
royal patron, King Louis I. of Bavaria. His 



106 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

Majesty was very favorably impressed with the 
energy and apostolic zeal of the American Bishop. 
^^You must have School Sisters — children of my 
kingdom/' he said to the Bishop; ^^I will furnish 
the means to establish their first convent in your 
episcopal see." Hereupon^ Mother Theresa sent 
orders to Baltimore to open a house in Milwaukee, 
and appointed Sister Caroline Superior of the West. 
But Divine Providence ordained that Sister 
Caroline should again cross the wide ocean, before 
entering upon her new career of labor, as Superior 
of the West. It was daily becoming more evident 
that an important question, upon which the pros- 
perity of our congregation in America depended, 
must be decided. This was the Enclosure, which, 
although only the episcopal, was, nevertheless, 
very strict) — too strict, indeed, for our country. 
According to their Holy Eule, the Sisters could not 
satisfy all the claims ui3on their personal presence 
with their pupils in school and in church. With- 
out some modification on this point, our Congrega- 
tion could not spread sufiiciently, to meet the 
demands of a population so rapidly increasing. To 
build a parish church, school-house and Sisters' 
dwelling, in such connection that the teaching 
Sisters could attend to all their duties, without 
leaving the enclosure, would have proved an im- 
possibility, in most cases. The Eedemptorists, 
particularly such enlightened men as the Eev. 
Father Neumann and Helmprecht, often remon- 
strated with the Sisters, urging them to effect a 
mitigation of their enclosure, in order to adapt 
themselves to the peculiar circumstances of this 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 107 

new country, and thus engage in the great work 
of Christian education without too much restraint. 
Mother Theresa, Sister Seraphina and others were 
on the strict side of the question, choosing rather to 
forego the founding of new missions than to avail 
themselves of such modification. Sister Caroline, 
however, with her naturally keen perception, had 
long since considered it necessary, and the 
experience she made on her visitation journeys 
served, more and more, to confirm her in this 
opinion. She resolutely acted upon this conviction, 
yet not without conscientiously obtaining advice 
and direction, in particular, from the saintly 
Father Neumann. As this difference of opinion 
ever grew wider even in the community. Mother 
Seraphina, the Superioress, concluded to send 
Sister Caroline to Munich, in order to bring the 
matter to a termination. All was to proceed silently 
and secretly, without even apprising Mother Theresa 
of the undertaking. With the courage and 
obedience of a soldier, Sister Caroline was ready to 
set out on the voyage all alone. Embarking on 
the 31st of July, 1850, tlie third anniversary of 
that auspicious day when she had landed in l^ew 
York, she reached Munich on the 15th of August. 
Truly a remarkable coincidence, on this same 
glorious feast she had made her entry into the 
poor, little convent of St. Mary's three years ago. 
How different now the emotions of her throbbing 
heart, as she stands at the portal of the Mother- 
house in Munich ! 



108 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

CHAPTEE YII. 

In Munich, — Eeceiyed with Mistrust. — Honored with the 
Appointment of Mother- Yicar on Keturning to America. 

When the unexpected, visitor crossed the convent 
threshold in the secular dress she had again been 
obliged to wear, the first impression was that she 
had run away from America. Father Siegert was 
the first to reassure himself after his great surprise, 
but not before he had given her a good scolding for 
daring to undertake so long a journey all alone. 
But it required quite a time till matters were 
satisfactorily explained to Mother Theresa, who, 
meanwhile, treated Sister Caroline more like a 
guest than a daughter of the house. A room was 
assigned her outside of community apartments, and 
the Sisters were greatly restricted in their inter- 
course with her. It was not considered advisable to 
increase the enthusiasm with which many of the 
Sisters regarded the courageous missionary from 
America, and, moreover, fears were entertained 
that Sister Caroline would have too much to say on 
the enclosure question and thus disturb the minds 
of the European Sisters about this important 
matter. Little did they know Sister Caroline's 
prudence and firmness of character. If there ever 
was a person discreet enough to know to whom, 
when and where to speak of any serious matter, it 
was Mother Caroline. Notwithstanding her lively 
disposition and her extraordinary powers of con- 
versation, she was not a talker. 

She clearly understood and deeply felt her 
embarrassing situation in the Munich Mother- 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 109 

house, but this did not disturb her cheerfulness. 
It often occurred that Sisters wished to come into 
her room, but she declined, playfully saying: 
^ ^Sister, no admittance, except for a florin.'' In 
discussing the enclosure, Mother Theresa showed 
herself rather unyielding. But Father Siegert 
advocated the opinion of Sister Caroline, whom 
he esteemed so highly ; and still more decidedly 
did Archbishop Eeisach adopt her views. It was 
clear to him that too strict an enclosure would be 
an unnecessary and dangerous draw-back to the 
spread and prosperity of our Congregation in 
America. Uncle Friess entertained the same 
opinion. The consequence was that Sister Caroline 
carried her point. It was, moreover, conclusively 
decided to establish a motherhouse in Milwaukee. 
Thus the negotiations of the courageous and 
obedient Sister were brought to a most successful 
issue ; but they were to effect still more than she 
had anticipated, not to say desired. Her Superiors 
deemed proper to give Sister Caroline full charge 
of the American branch of our Congregation. She 
remonstrated earnestly and honestly, all the more 
so, as it was rather a delicate matter to go to 
Munich as delegate and return to America in the 
capacity of a Superior. This surely might not 
receive a favorable interpretation ; but Sister 
Caroline had to bow submission. A decree of her 
Superiors, appointing her Mother- Vicar in America, 
for time indefinite, was ratified by Archbishop 
Eeisach, October 10th, 1850. His Grace often 
called to see his former protegee, during her stay in 
Munich, favoring her with his solid instructions 



110 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

and wise counsels. The time required for settling 
this imi3ortant matter seemed much too long for 
his energetic nature, and when, at last, all was 
concluded, the Prelate exclaimed : ^*'But now make 
haste to get back to America, or you will stay here 
altogether.'' 

Kearly three months had Sister Caroline spent 
in Munich, when she set out on her journey, hence- 
forth bearing the honorable name of Mother 
Caroline. 

The King being absent from the royal city, she 
could not see him ; but she was to experience His 
Majesty's favor on her return to America. The 
first day of her journey was rendered very painful 
by a sad disappointment. It had been agreed upon 
that her iDarents and other relations would meet her 
at a certain railway station, where the train daily 
made long stops. She was especially anxious to 
see her loved mother once more. The train had 
been delayed, however, on account of bad weather, 
so that the usual stop could not be made. As it 
drew up to the station, our traveler saw the 
carriage with her dearly loved ones approaching 
and she knew, at once, that a farewell wave of hand 
and kerchief must suffice for a mutual farewell 
greeting. This was more than her strong heart 
could bear. Yearningly her tear-dimmed eyes turned 
towards the carriage, till it faded from view. Her 
parents and her uncle, she was never more to see on 
earth. Her mother died in 1860 5 her uncle, in 
1869, and her father, in 1875. 

She had two traveling companions ; Miss Will- 
inger from Baltimore, who had accompanied 



MOTHER CAROLINE. Ill 

Mother Theresa to Munich two years before and 
Miss Casanova from Switzerland, a niece of Bishop 
Henni, who was to become his house-keeper. By the 
end of October, the travelers reached Baltimore^ 
Mother Caroline in a certain sense of the word, in 
strictest incognito ; for she was firmly resolved not 
to announce her appointment to any one. Indeed, 
she had been tempted more than once to throw the 
document into the Ocean, so little i)leasure did it 
give her. Whether intentionally or by mistake, 
no written announcement of Mother Caroline's 
appointment had been made to the Sisters in 
America. Mother Theresa had simply handed her 
the document and a letter to Sister Seraphina, 
hitherto her Superior, in which she was informed 
that Sister Caroline, with several other Sisters, was 
to i3roceed to the West and open a motherhouse 
in Milwaukee. For a iDerson of her keen j)ercei3tion 
and delicacy of feeling, this was really an awkward 
position and one that easily might have been 
spared her. She, however, remained perfectly silent 
on the subject and took the necessary measures for 
her removal to Milwaukee, leaving it to the 
authorities in Munich to apprise the community of 
the charge she had received. 



CHAPTEE YIII. 
The Journey to Milwaukee, 

Ifovember 21st, Feast of the Presentation of the 
Blessed Virgin, Mother Caroline started on her 
journey to Milwaukee. She left Baltimore in the 
company of Miss Casanova and a candidate, 



112 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

Theresa Scholl^ who, in after years^ died of yellow 
fever in 'New Orleans, as Sister Clara, most dear to 
Mother Caroline. Stopping over at Pittsburg, she 
took Sisters M. Emmanuela and IM. Aloysia Schmid 
and Sister M. Zita Wittmann with her. The trip 
to Milwaukee was very slow and wearisome, alter- 
nating with stage and railway. Leaving Pittsburg, 
December 3rd, feast of St. Francis Xavier, the 
travelers did not reach Detroit before the 7th. A 
certain Mrs. Scheer, with whom Mother Caroline 
had obtained lodging before, when traveling with 
Mother Theresa, again extended the weary party 
kindest hospitality. Early next morning all 
repaired to St. Mary's Church, to receive the 
Sacraments on the great feast of the Immaculate 
Conception. As the house of Mrs. Scheer was at 
a considerable distance from the church, they did 
not return for their breakfast, but remained in 
church, to assist at High Mass, in order to indem- 
nify themselves for the Masses they had missed on 
the way. 

From Detroit, our travelers j)roceeded on their 
way to Chicago, by stage, and thence to Milwaukee. 
The passengers they met with, in this vehicle, were 
not a very select party. Some of the men began to 
ridicule the Sisters on account of their black 
apparel and sneeringly inquired whether they had 
all lost their husbands, as they were dressed in 
mourning. To the great joy of Mother Caroline, 
Sister Emmanuela' s prompt repartee silenced them. 
^^One man died for us alP^ she replied, ^^for whom 
we mourn. We all belong to the same family.'' 

Between Chicago and Milwaukee, the stage 



MOTHER CAROLIIS^E. 113 

suddenly broke dowiij in the middle of the night, 
depositing the passengers on the road. When the 
Sisters had extricated themselves from the snow, 
they beheld a light in the distance, toward which 
they eagerly turned their steps and gained admis- 
sion to a j)oor hut, where they found shelter from 
the severe cold. 

At dawn, they continued their journey on a large 
sleigh. It required no less than two days and three 
nights from Chicago to Milwaukee, which city they 
reached early in the morning of December 15th, 
Ember Saturday. 

They at once repaired to the Bishop's residence, 
not finding him at home, however, as he was just 
saying Mass in the chapel of the Sisters of 
Charity. The good Bishop was highly rejoiced on 
hearing of their arrival and sent them word to come 
to the hospital. Here, they found him at break- 
fast, of which he kindly invited them to partake. 
They gratefully accepted the offer, but only took a 
cup of black coffee and a cracker, as it was a 
fast-day. 



114 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

PART FOURTH. 

From Her Arrival in Milwaukee to Her Happy- 
Death. 1850 — 1892. 



CHAPTER I. 



Small Beginnings nnder Great Difficulties. — Mother 
Caroline Receives her First Candidate in the West. 

We now behold Mother Caroline at the head of 
her little community in Milwaukee. For more 
than forty years, this beautiful city on Lake 
Michigan was to be her home, or rather, the head- 
quarters of her unceasing activity — fraught with 
heaviest cares for herself, but brightest blessings 
for others. 

Who would have dreamed, at her arrival, that 
only ten years later, from the woodland hill at the 
north-east end of the City, a convent would tower 
aloft, for many years to be the largest and stateliest 
edifice of this flourishing lake-port^ Who would 
have dreamed that, ere long, hundreds, yes, 
thousands of pupils, young maidens from all parts 
of the country, would flock to St. Mary's on the 
Hill, there to receive a thorough Christian educa- 
tion, or to devote themselves forever to the service 
of God in the religious state? 

Who would have dreamed that from St. Mary's 
on the Hill, vast numbers of consecrated virgins 
would go forth in all directions, with apostolic 
zeal, to teach and train the young, — with a 
mother's love, to provide for the orphan, — to give 
to the world a bright example of every Christian 




'%^ 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 115 

virtue^ And yet, through the ever active mind and 
hand of Mother Caroline, all this became a most 
consoling and astonishing reality. — When the 
angel of death summoned our Mother to her eternal 
reward — St. Mary's on the Hill was the central 
point of deepest moarning for more than two 
thousand Sisters, scattered over seventeen states 
and thirty dioceses of the country. Their affliction 
was shared by upwards of seventy thousand school- 
children and orphans, thousands of families, 
hundreds of priests and many bishops, who all 
knew and felt that from the Convent-hill in 
Milwaukee, a soul had i3assed away whom multi- 
tudes gratefully revere as their noble benefactress. 
The very day of her arrival in Milwaukee, 
Mother Caroline began her work, without delay. 
The Sisters of Charity had kindly offered the new- 
comers lodging, until their own house would be 
sufficiently furnished. This hospitality Mother 
Caroline gratefully accepted for her fatigued 
companions, while she herself, with good Sister 
Zita and the Candidate, repaired to the house, 
which the Bishop had purchased with King Louis' 
donation. Their baggage having arrived, they 
commenced to unpack, and to fit up their new 
home as well as circumstances allowed. After 
building a hearth-fire, they availed themselves of 
the provisions left over from their journey, to cook 
their first meal. Busy work had sharpened their 
appetite to such a degree, that the supi3ly fell 
short of the demand. The first two nights. Mother 
Caroline and her two companions were obliged to 
sleep on the floor, utilizing bundles of clothing for 



116 MOTHER CAEOLINE. 

pillows. The third day^ Monday, the most neces- 
sary furniture was procured, and the work of 
getting things into shape progressed rapidly. By 
Christmas Eve, the house was in running order, — 
and its first inmates had the happiness of celebrat- 
ing this joyful feast together, in their new home. 
Having only worn the habit and cincture until 
now, they were heartily glad when again fully 
robed in their religious dress. Still greater was 
their joy when, on that same day, the Bishop 
blessed their little chapel, (one of the rooms set 
apart for the purpose) transforming it into another 
Bethlehem for the Divine Infant. Mother Caroline* 
had spared no pains to furnish and decorate it 
becomingly, and when, on Christmas morning, the 
kind prelate celebrated his second Mass in this 
neat, little chapel, no happier souls could be found 
in all Milwaukee than Mother Caroline and her 
little community. 

Never before, did they sing the sweet Christmas 
hymns of their fatherland with more heartfelt joy. 
After divine service. Mother Caroline officially 
announced her appointment as Superioress of the 
School Sisters in America, with the title of Yicaria 
Generalis ; then, indeed, their happiness was com- 
plete. All hastened to the chapel to pour forth 
their joy and gratitude in a heart-felt Te Deum. 
Having faithfully guarded the secret of her 
appointment up to this time. Mother Caroline 
deemed it her duty to make the announceinent to 
her ecclesiastical superior, the Et. Eev. Bishop, 
who charged her also to acquaint the Sisters. On 
this occasion, Mother Caroline manifested a trait 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 117 

of character which she possessed in a remarkable 
degree and which accounts for the unlimited confi- 
dence the Sisters were wont to place in her. Not- 
withstanding her sincere, upright disposition and the 
frankness with which she expressed her opinions. 
Mother Caroline was silent as the grave, where 
prudence and charity required it. She was in no- 
wise, inclined to be talkative or to make indiscreet 
communications. In this regard, too, our noble 
Mother combined with all the depth and tenderness 
of her feelings, the most admirable firmness of 
character. How often the Sisters were heard to 
say: ^^What we tell Mother, abides with her.'' 

The beginnings in Milwaukee were hardships 
and privations. What Mother felt most keenly, 
was to see her Sisters suffering, during the severe 
winter, from want of food and fuel. Their room 
was so poorly heated, at times, that they would 
stand close by the dimly- burning fire, first to warm 
themselves in front, and then turn about, at the 
playful command of their courageous leader, to let 
their freezing backs enjoy the same comfort. Their 
board was no less meager ; meat and bread were 
often consumed a long time before bills were i3aid. 

Patiently they endured these privations, without 
comi)laint. Their holy rule had not accustomed 
them to begging, — much less their former mode of 
life. The outer world had not the remotest idea 
of the Sisters' extreme poverty. Their kind patron. 
Bishop Henni himself was in needy circumstances. 

During this period of greatest want, Mother 
Caroline received her first candidate, Catharine 
Flasch, our present Sister M. Laurentia. Having, 



118 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

for some time, entertained the desire of entering a 
convent, Bishop Henni prevailed upon her to a^^ait 
the School Sisters' arrival. December 30th, 1850, 
this good daughter of a thriving farmer presented 
herself to her new Mother, with a few lines of 
recommendation from the Bishop. 

One of her first acts was to rip a seam of her 
dress and draw forth twenty-five dollars in gold. 
Bravely she then began to labor and to suffer with 
the little religious family. A part of her money. 
Mother Caroline spent for warm blankets to make 
the new-comer comfortable. ^^Nevertheless," says 
Sister Laurentia, many a night my feet were pain- 
fully cramped with cold, and I had to rub them 
well, to give them a little warmth. Ofttimes we 
rose hungry from the table; but, she adds, ^^those 
were precious times ; we were so happy. ' ' — 

A few days later, came the second candidate, 
Margaret Fuhrmann, choir-singer at St. Mary's 
Church. She became the very efficient Sister M. 
Borgia, whose death at Manitowoc, Wis., in 1880, 
Mother Caroline greatly lamented. Of the other 
candidates who entered soon after, several returned 
to the world, unable to endure the poverty of the 
new congregation. Even to our courageous Catha- 
rine, hardships seemed almost intolerable. Her 
parents were well-to-do people, for those pioneer 
days. To suffer from hunger was something 
altogether new to her. No wonder she stepped up 
to Mother Caroline one day, asking leave to go 
home. At first. Mother thought she, too, intended 
to leave, and told her to go in God's name. She 
did go, but, in a few days, back she came, — 



MOTHER CAEOLINE. 119 

not alone, however. A farmer's wagon followed, 
with flour, eggs, hams, vegetables, — a whole load 
of provisions, and fifty dollars in cash, besides. 
According to another version, which Sr. Laurentia, 
however, declares a poetical fiction, Catharine sat 
triumj)hant on the heavily loaded wagon. After a 
short interval, her parents brought a slaughtered 
ox and several barrels of pickled pork, which 
supplied the wants of the community, at least, for 
a time. Believed of this care. Mother Caroline had 
to contend with others, just as pressing. Purchases 
were to be made ; alterations became necessary in 
the house; a new wing was to be added, — and 
where were the funds? Beared in good circum- 
stances at home — and never charged with financial 
affairs in the convent, she found the straits in 
money matters exceedingly difficult. 

Her first Three Kings-Day in Milwaukee, found 
her in great embarrassment. A carpenter had 
come, for the third time, to present his bill. What 
was to be done, as she had but a few cents in her 
table drawer? The man grew troublesome and, 
declaring he would not go unpaid, remained seated 
in the parlor. Our distressed Mother retired to 
her room, cast herself upon her knees, and, with a 
boldness inspired by confidence, cried out: ^^O 
holy Three Kings, you must supply me with the 
necessary money! "Once more she opened her table 
drawer and, behold, a twenty dollar gold-piece met 
her eager gaze ! 

^^I am positive," she remarked to the narrator, 
(April 21st, 1892) ^^the money was not previously 
in the drawer." Considering how free Mother 



120 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

Caroline was from all credulity, we can hardly do 
otherwise than attribute a miraculous character to 
this incident. Be that as it may, she ever after- 
ward had recourse to the Three Kings in her 
pecuniary difficulties. In subsequent years, her 
embarrassments, in this regard, were never again 
so trying, although up to the sixties she had hard 
work to make ends meet. Her success was due, in 
a great measure, to the kind assistance of her 
faithful friend and patron, Bishop Henni. Although 
he had no money, he had credit, of which he often 
availed himself in Mother Caroline's favor, 
especially at Mitchell's bank. He also sought to 
interest the clergy in behalf of the community. 
With his refined taste, he insisted more and more 
on beautifying the parish churches and the altars. 
Consequently, the pastors applied to the Sisters for 
artificial flowers, vestments, altar-linens, banners, 
etc. Though small the profit derived from this 
source, it proved quite a help, l^ow it was that 
Mother's manifold accomplishments served her a 
good turn. Whenever time permitted, she was 
engaged in tapestry work, making flowers and 
other church ornaments. First attempts were 
even made at painting altar-pieces and other 
religious pictures. Thus she laid the foundation 
of the Sisters' proficiency in these branches, which, 
in the course of time, enabled them to open a 
department, in connection with the convent, that, 
without boasting, may be called an art- school. 

About this time, some of the clergy began to 
deposit their scanty savings with Mother Caroline. 
The same was done by many of the thrifty German 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 121 

housewives, who would sooner entrust their 
hard-earned pennies to her keeping than to the 
insecure banks of those days. All this facilitated 
the necessary purchase of property and the con- 
tinued erection of the Motherhouse from 1851 to 
1867. The confidence with which Mother Caroline 
inspired all that dealt with her, ever proved her 
best resource. 

CHAPTEE II. 

Opening of our First School in Wisconsin.— Mother 
Caroline Teacher at St. Mary's. 

January 2nd, 1851, our first school was opened 
in Wisconsin, under the auspices of the Et. Eev. 
Bishop Henni. This was St. Mary's Parochial 
School in the city of Milwaukee. The Eev. Pastor, 
Dr. Salzmann, in his own warm-hearted, enthusias- 
tic manner, had announced the Sisters to his 
congregation, more especially congratulating the 
children on the advantages thus offered them. 
Never having seen a Sister, they were full of 
expectation. One of them, our present Sister M. 
Chrysologa, Superior of St. Libory's Mission, 
St. Louis, has given the narrator some interesting 
accounts, here subjoined: — 

^^Dr. Salzmann, introduced our new teacher, 
whose large rosary cross, as it swung by her side, 
was the first thing to attract our attention. With 
timid, silent wonder we regarded the stately Sister, 
as, bright and smiling, she stood before us. Per- 
ceiving our curiosity, she presently remarked : 
^^Yes, dear children, take a good look at me, with 
eyes and mouth open.'' * Somewhat abashed, the 
elder pupils cast down their eyes ; but the little 



122 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

ones persisted in scrutinizing their first School 
Sister, in her black robe with wide sleeves , her 
strange head-dress and large rosary cross. We 
were soon at ease, however, for scarcely had Dr. 
Salzmann withdrawn, when our friendly teacher 
aroused us from our dumb surprise, and actively 
began our school-exercises. Naive questions and 
answers gave evidence how well teacher and pupils 
understood each other. A new era had begun for 
these happy school-girls ; they were learning, and 
scarcely knew how; they were simply carried by 
the zeal of their teacher. Her method was thorough 
and practical, so well adapted to the capacity of 
her pupils, that it seemed an easy task for her to 
teach three grades, then crowded into one room, 
always keeping those who were not engaged at 
recitation profitably employed in performing their 
respective tasks. To enforce discipline among the 
lively "Wisconsin children, was a task that gave 
Mother Caroline little trouble ; for she thoroughly 
understood the art. She inflicted no corporal 
chastisement, never touched a child; but always 
maintained a certain dignified reserve. Her stately 
demeanor and dark, penetrating eyes were sufficient 
to insure order. If there ever was any want of 
attention, her one word, ^^Silence!'' resounding 
like a peal of thunder, produced such an effect 
that her pupils scarcely ventured to look up. The 
kind, warm-hearted teacher herself, at times, inter- 
rupted the deep silence, by softly singing : 

''Quiet, quiet, still as mice! 
Children, that is very nice ; 
For 3'our teacher wills it so, 
And you must obey, you know." 



MOTHER CAEOLIXE. 123 

Among the many pretty school-songs Mother 
Caroline taught us, she was especially fond of this : 

'Neath the foliage, dense and green, 
Hide the grapes their purple sheen. 
Bending lowly in the field, 
Golden ears their treasures yield. — 
Here the emblem we may view 
Of a Christian's virtue true : 
Hiding from all show that's vain. 
Humble souls have richest gain. 

The pious hymn, ^^ Jesus, for Thee I live/' 
Mother Caroline taught us to sing with all the 
fervor of her heart. She would generally intone it 
after the opening school-prayer, or after the hour- 
prayer, and the visible emotion with which she 
sang, made a lasting impression upon our young 
hearts. 

The first hymns she taught us were: ^^ Jesus, 
friend of children ; Infant Jesus, come to me ; Hail, 
Mary, fairest lily; Hail, sweet Mother, dearest 
Lady'', etc., etc. 

The month of May, 1851, afforded Mother Caro- 
line a most favorable opportunity for teaching us 
to venerate our Heavenly Queen. Her clear, pene- 
trating voice rang out in our gloomy school- 
building, filling it with an air of joyous devotion. 
Our Blessed Lady must have rejoiced to hear those 
fervent strains of praise. We, children, were so 
enthusiastic, that those whose homes were at a 
considerable distance, would remain in the school- 
house without supper, to attend May devotion at 
1% o'clock. 

The boarders and candidates also came from the 
convent, as the little community then had no 



124 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

chaplain. — It was thus Mother Caroline knew how 
to combine the most winning kindness with becom- 
ing strictness, and the natural result was, that the 
warm young hearts of her pupils clung to her like 
tender vines around the hardy trunk, She was 
humble and condescending without, however, com- 
promising her authority. If, at times, a thoughtless 
girl passed her without bowing or greeting, she 
would remind her at once ; but timid children she 
encouraged with a friendly nod and smile. 

One day Mother Caroline told us her father, 
whom she called Peter, was beatified — a saint in 
Heaven (alluding to Blessed P. Fourrier). We 
exchanged looks of astonishment, and regarded 
our teacher with reverence. At home, we related 
what we had heard ; but our parents, who then 
knew very little about the Sisters, could give us no 
explanation. We began to venerate the Sisters 
and feel ourselves happy in their presence. 

Looming up in the distance, as it were, the 
bright mirror of the present began to reflect scenes 
of coming years. Playing the role of Sisters became 
the chief amusement of St. Mary's pupils. Convent 
schools were built of desks and benches ; girls, 
dressed like Sisters, were teaching their classes ; 
the superioress called, to supervise and examine, 
to award prizes or punishments. — With visible 
pleasure Mother Caroline observed the girls in 
their amusements and even encouraged them with 
pleasant suggestions. On one of these occasions 
she sent me, (unknown to the performers) to notify 
the Eev. Dr. Salzmann that several strange Sisters 
had come, requesting him to call and see them. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 125 

The good Father, taking the message literally, 
came in haste, and now their fun was at its height. 
While thus watching us closely, Mother Caroline 
drew her conclusions, and soon discovered two 
little Margarets seated at the same desk, who, she 
felt assured, were to belong to her — and they did 
belong to her in the persons of Ven. Sisters M. 
Boniface and M. Chrysologa. They were Mother 
Caroline's first Milwaukee pupils that entered our 
congregation. 

The energetic teacher showed great tact in 

removing many an obstacle in her way. A damp 

and gloomy class-room, with the most scanty 

furniture, she converted into a pleasant apartment, 

well fitted out, by having a dark corner partitioned 

off, to serve as a little dressing-room for the Sisters. 

This was a very necessary accommodation ; for, at 

that time, they could not even cross the street in 

their religious dresSo Here, too, they partook of 

their meager dinner of soup and vegetables brought 

from the convent in a tin pail and many a hungry 

little mouse claimed the share of an uninvited 

guest. At noon-time Mother Caroline staid with 

us, while the other Sisters were at dinner, and took 

her portion later. She generally said her office 

during this interval, walking up and down in our 

midst, while we were eating our luncheon. 

Occasionally she would hold out her apron saying : 

^^Give me something, too.'' Gladly we gave her 

anything we had with us: bread, cakes, apples, 

dough- nuts etc., without any further thought than 

to bring more the next time. I afterwards learned 

that our dear Mother took these eatables home for 



126 MOTHER CAROLINE, 

her Sisters J lest there should be nothing provided 
for supper. Even we, school-girls, were deeply 
impressed with her spirit of poverty and self- 
denial, so many examples of which we beheld later 
on, when Sisters, during her long career. 

At the close of the scholastic year 1851, Mother 
Caroline held her first examination and distribution 
of premiums in the presence of the Et. Eev. Bishop, 
several priests, and as many others as could be 
accommodated in our school apartments. Her 
deportment was natural and serious, without 
embarrassment or diffidence. She did not seat her 
pui3ils according to their standing in class, so as 
not to discourage the weaker, and to excite emulation 
among them all. The first premium, a large i)rayer- 
book in red binding, she laid upon a table, where 
it was visible to all the pupils. 

We fixed our eyes upon the beautiful book, and 
the attraction it offered showed the cleverness of 
our teacher. Fortunately, one of the two Margarets 
won the prize, and several years later brought the 
coveted book with her to the convent. Thus far 
Sister Chrysologa. 

Mother Caroline was a model school-teacher, 
eminently qualified for instructing and training 
children. As she herself had been a child — naive, 
natural, ingenuous — in the full sense of the word, 
she thoroughly understood the nature of children ; 
moreover, the genuine pedagogical education she 
had received from her uncle, as also from Father 
Siegert, later on, gave her the unerring tact and 
efficiency of an enlightened educator. 

It was, above all, her ardent, faith-inspired love 



MOTHER CAEOLIXE. 127 

of children that gained their hearts and exercised 
an irresistible influence over their affections. 
Through loving kindness and quiet, gentle firmness, 
she easily effected what others could not accomplish 
with severity and punishments. Already in 1847, 
when the Sisters had taken charge of St. Alphon- 
sus' School in Baltimore, ^^It was Sister Caroline," 
as Sister Josephine informs us, ^^who especially 
attracted the pupils. Our hearts were thrilled 
with joy as often as the announcement was made, 
^Sister Caroline is here.' At each visit, she 
taught us a new song, expressing her pleasure with 
our efforts and the progress we had made in our 
studies. At the close of school in 1850, Sister 
Caroline, attended our examination, which was 
held July 19th. My father having been buried 
the day previous, I was dressed in mourning. 
Some of the pupils' parents had sent dinner for 
Sister Caroline and our teachers. Our good Mother, 
noticing that I could not eat, sought to cheer me, 
giving me a rosary formed of raisins and little 
cakes. STot until then did she take her own 
dinner. Thus did Mother Caroline unconsciously 
attract young girls and inspire them with the wish 
to become Sisters. Among the first pupils at St. 
Alphonsus' School no fewer than nine became 
members of our congregation.'' 



128 MOTHER CAEOLINE. 

CHAPTEE III. 

Uncommon Difficnlties in Milwaukee.— Mother Caroline 
Equal to the Occasion. 

Difficulties were soon to arise in Milwaukee, 
within and without the Motherhouse, which, next 
to the divine protection, demanded all the courage 
and prudence of a Mother Caroline, to ward off 
their dangerous influences from the young sister- 
hood. Had the little community been in charge of 
a superior easily confused and intimidated, we may 
well believe, it would have been disbanded. — Mil- 
waukee was at that time a veritable nest of free- 
thinkers. The so-called Forty-eighters fairly 
reveled in their impieties. Everything sacred and 
religious was shamefully ridiculed in their meet- 
ings, processions and, especially, their scurrilous 
pamphlets. Dr. Salzmann, who courageously 
attacked them, with glowing eloquence, from the 
pulpit of St. Mary's Church, was a special object 
of their hatred and blasphemous tactics. St. Mary's 
Convent on the Hill, steadily increasing its dimen- 
sions, also provoked their spleen, and, more in par- 
ticular, the Venerable Superioress who was daily ris- 
ing in the esteem of all well-disposed persons, both 
within and without the City. Their bitter animosity 
is obvious from the fact that, in 1854, when the 
plan was drawn for the new convent chai)el on 
Knapp Street, Bishop Henni advised Mother 
Caroline not to have large church-windows, but 
two rows of ordinary windows, one above the 
other, as if in two stories. This i)recaution he 
considered necessary for the safety of the building, 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 129 

because there was reason to fear it would be 
bombarded by the radicals, if it had the appearance 
of a church. Whenever they could offer the con- 
vent any insult, they would spare no pains to do 
so. Their noisy parades, amid shouts of obscene 
language and vile scoffs, would often arouse the 
poor inmates from their nightly repose. Some of 
their ribaldry was too mean and low even to allow 
of any mention. The following will suffice to give 
some idea of their vulgar abuse: One day, they 
led a cow about in riotous procession, and, halting 
below the convent windows, one of the sacriligious 
ruffians baptized the beast with mock solemnity, 
amid the boisterous jeers of the crowd. Three 
times little foundlings were laid on the convent 
door-steps. Two finely clad gentlemen called one 
day and desired to see the Superioress in the 
parlor. Mother Caroline answered their call behind 
the grate. With an air of refined courtesy, they 
began to order altar-cloths and other articles for 
church service. But one of them soon betrayed 
himself by inquiring how much the silk for the 
altar-cloths would cost ; besides, Mother Caroline 
noticed while the one was seeking to engage her 
attention, the other was slyly making attempts at 
drawing. She at once perceived the design of 
these pamphlet agents, and dismissed them in a 
manner which frustrated every hope of obtaining 
a caricature for their filthy journals. In spite of 
all these molestations. Mother Caroline succeeded 
in quieting the fears of her community and main- 
taining peaceful order. Besides her courage and 
firmness, she possessed two other happy qualities 



130 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

which gave her perfect control over the hearts and 
minds of her subjects. These were her solid, 
enlightened piety and her imperturbable cheerful- 
ness. Free from all morbid and affected forms of 
piety, Mother Caroline was a woman of prayer, 
particularly of meditation, mental prayer. Great 
was her devotion to the Most Holy Sacrament, to 
the Passion of Christ and to our Blessed Lady; 
and zealously she fostered these devotions in the 
hearts of the young. In those early years, she 
usually came to the Novitiate two or three times a 
week, at 1% P. M., to hold conferences with her 
beloved novices, instructing them in menoal 
prayer, making meditations with them, or requiring 
them to make such aloud, etc. She also conducted 
the same exercises with the candidates. Mother 
Caroline would not tolerate any long, sad faces. 
She herself was so cheerful, always ready to pass a 
pleasant joke, relate an amusing anecdote or make 
some humorous remark, that, even in her latest 
years, she was wont to say : ^^Oh! I, in my old age, 
can make more fun than fifty of our young folks.'' 
When all were full of life and glee, particularly the 
young candidates, she was highly pleased. 

One of those who entered the convent at an early 
date, writes as follows: Mother Caroline was 
delighted when we were cheerful; she even took 
part in our merry-making. When we had disguised 
ourselves during the Carnival Days, and I played 
the role of Mother Caroline, giving her orders and 
treating her as my subject^ she enjoyed the joke, 
especially, when I succeeded in imitating her 
manners. In the course of the day. Bishop Henni 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 131 

called. Mother instructed the portress to announce 
the illustrious visitor to me, the quasi- superior. 
After paying my respects to the prelate, I addressed 
her as Sister Caroline, requesting her to entertain 
His Lordship in my name, and assuring her I 
would be pleased with anything she might do for 
him. ^^Bravo! bravo!" cried our good Mother, 
heartily apxDlauding and, turning to the Bishop, 
who also enjoyed the joke, she remarked: ^'We 
must let these young folks have their fun." 

All these hapi^y qualities vhich enabled her to 
win the hearts of her subjects and tranquilize their 
minds, more especially exerted their beneficial 
influence in a season of trials that gave rise to still 
greater alarm and confusion among the inmates of 
St. Mary's. This visitation lasted from December 
8th, feast of the Immaculate Conception, 1854, to 
February 2nd, Candlemas-Day, 1855. There were 
maleficent, ghostlike manifestations in the house, 
of which the convent chronicle gives the following 
account: — ^^Four years the Sisters had cheerfully 
endured the privations and hardshij)S of poverty, 
drawing down the blessing of God upon their 
labors, when their courage and constancy were to 
be sorely tried by affliction of quite a peculiar 
nature. On the beautiful feast of the Immaculate 
Conception, 1851, that memorable year in which it 
was declared a dogma of faith by Pius IX., this 
mysterious visitation began. Our Eev. Chaplain, 
Antony Urbanek, a devout servant of Mary, closed 
the solemnity of the day with special evening de- 
votions. But, it appears, the old serpent, whose 
head had been crushed anew, as it were, on this 



132 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

day of Mary's triumph^ sought to vent his fury 
upon this new institute devoted to the special 
veneration of the Immaculate Virgin. At the con- 
clusion of the solemnity, when the candidates retired 
for the night, they found their beds wet. On other 
evenings grooves formed in their paillasses or 
pillows, were filled with water; night-caps, too, 
were filled and standing up with their contents, 
while nothing else was wet. In the wardrobes, 
ordure of animals was found mixed with hair, and 
so offensive was the odor of the clothing they 
contained, that it could not be worn. Putrid water 
often trickled down from the ceiling upon the 
sleeping candidates. Sometimes a call-bell in the 
apartments below was violently rung during the 
night, or a hand-bell, in the room, moved up and 
down. 

At other times, things lying upon the table flew 
about the room. Frequently the candidates received 
a violent box on the ear from an invisible hand, 
and similar treatment was inflicted on the house- 
dog, which caused him to run away whining and 
howling. iNew garments were often found torn 
into shreds, scarcely an inch in width, and wound 
up in a mass. 

Five loaves of kneaded dough, disappearing from 
the bakery, were afterwards found swimming in 
the cistern. One morning, when the Eev. Chaplain 
was about to begin Holy Mass, the wax candles 
vanished from the altar. They were found burning, 
standing upright in the frozen pit of the closet, 
several feet below the seat. 

In the kitchen, too, strange things happened. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 133 

The general consternation increased from day to 
day. Fattier Urbanek had reconrse to prayer and 
benedictions, in order to protect the candidates 
from these evil assaults ; but when there was a 
cessation in one place, new visitations began in 
another. One day, when Bishop Henni called at 
the convent, a bundle of clothing torn to shreds 
was brought to him for inspection. The pious and 
enlightened prelate exlaimed: ^^ Truly, the evil 
spirit seeks to destroy your candidature. Take 
heed, lest there be among your own number some 
medium through which he is at work. This really 
proved to be the case. A candidate, among whose 
relatives there were many free-masons, was to have 
wedded one of these. She, however, entered the 
convent, and, it appears, her rejected suitor 
succeeded in turning the powers of evil against the 
community. 

It was singular that the filthy water trickling 
from the dormitory ceiling upon the beds of other 
candidates, never reached her own, nor was she 
molested in anyway, while others were with her. 
Sudden indisposition often obliged her to leave 
the oratory during night-prayer, or she fell into a 
swoon, requiring assistance to reach the sleeping 
apartments. On such evenings there was always 
some evil done. The unfortunate girl herself com- 
plained of certain abuses she suffered from the evil 
one, even alleging that she saw him ; but this was 
always when alone. Finally, the Et. Eev. Bishop 
gave orders to dismiss her, whereupon tranquillity, 
peace and joy again prevailed in the convent 
sphere. The happy day on which this was effected 
was a feast of our Blessed Mother — Candlemas. 



134 MOTHEE CAEOLINE. 

On her homeward journey, the free-mason suitor 
of the dismissed candidate unexpectedly came to 
meet her, and, joyfully embracing her, exclaimed: 
'^ISoWj I have you again!" Such was the case, 
indeed ; for not long afterwards they were married, 
but their union was a very unhappy one, as she 
herself informed the Sisters.'' 

It was really necessary to have a person like 
Mother Caroline at the head of the community in 
these troublous times, more in particular, as Eev. 
Father Urbanek, though j)ious, learned and faithful, 
was not the man to extend any special help, on 
account of his nervous temperament. Bishop Henni, 
however, offered Mother Caroline his efficient aid . 
Under his prudent direction, she succeeded so well 
in quieting and reassuring the candidates, that 
none of them left the convent, although many a one 
declared she could endure these molestations no 
longer. 

Not long after this visitation, other mysterious 
manifestations began to agitate the religious, 
though not in so terrifying a manner ; they rather 
exercised a beneficial influence. 

In the year 1856, shortly after the upper oratory 
had been blessed, choir-prayer was heard, in the 
midnight hours, before the altar on which the 
Most Holy Sacrament reposed. On high festivals, 
particularly during the octave of All Saints, this 
was a regular occurrence. In responsive choirs, 
sweet, soft voices recited anthems of praise to the 
Most Holy Sacrament and the Immaculate Virgin, 
or devout prayers for the poor souls. These were 
so distinct and audible, that there could be no 



MOTHEH CAROLINE. 135 

delusion. Mother Caroline often made investiga- 
tions to ascertain whether all the inmates of the 
house were in bed, and found no one missing. 
But there was something so awe-inspiring in those 
unearthly strains that not even she ventured to 
enter the oratory. All was, otherwise, quiet- 
nothing heard but prayer. This continued for 
several years. 

Fear gradually subsided and gave way to con- 
fidence ,• for Bishop Henni and Mother Caroline 
succeeded in convincing the Sisters that no evil 
powers could be engaged in these devout and soul- 
stirring prayers. In the course of time, Sisters 
were wont simply to say: ^^The poor souls are 
praying again.'' ^^And,'' said Mother Caroline in 
making these statements, ^^they endeavored all the 
more to be good and dutiful." She herself regarded 
these mysterious occurrences as an exhortation to 
continual prayer before the Most Holy Sacrament. 
In fact, it gave rise to her idea of establishing the 
Perpetual Adoration, which, from that time forth, 
was the one ardent desire of her heart — ever more 
fondly cherished. To realize it, in some degree, she 
appointed hours of private devotion, for one or 
more Sisters, which, in course of time, became an 
uninterrupted adoration of the Most Holy Sacra- 
ment, at least, during the day-time. It was, with 
the hope of fully carrying out her design, that she 
built a convent at Hokah, Minn, in 1867. When, 
however, it became evident that the place was not 
adapted to this purpose, she, by no means, 
abandoned her project. As proof of this, stands 
the Chapel of Perpetual Adoration in the Mother- 



136 MOTHER CAEOLINE. 

house, just completed before her death. In this 
beautiful chapel, the crowning point of all her 
undertakings, we behold the result of that 
mysterious choir-prayer in the oratory, — as Mother 
Caroline herself assured the narrator. 



CHAPTEE IV. 



Founding of the Motherhouse, Day-School, St. Mary's 

Institute, and the Aspirants' Department. — Mother 

Caroline in Relation to Institutes and Parochial 

Schools* — She Gives her Congregation the 

Character of a Missionary Order. 

Schools for Boys. 

When Mother Caroline came to Milwaukee, Et. 
Eev. Eishop Henni had purchased a dwelling for 
the Sisters, on the corner of Milwaukee and Knapp 
Streets, with the money donated by King Louis of 
Bavaria. This was the two-story house of a 
Protestant minister. It was well built for that 
period, but it was only 36x32 feet in dimension. 
Its principal ornaments — though of a rather doubt- 
ful nature — consisted of four chimneys, one at each 
corner; hence it was known as ^^The House with 
Four Chimneys." The ground occupied two lots, 
accordingly, but one twelfth of the present tract 
on which the Motherhouse is built. The beautiful 
hill was still quite wild, dotted by a little house 
here and there. On the south side — Knapp Street 
— stood two handsome brickhouses. As the Bishop 
urged IVIother Caroline to open a select school, she 
felt obliged, notwithstanding her poverty, to build 
an addition to the convent on Knapp Street. In 



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MOTHER CAROLINE. 137 

these apartments the highly cultured Sister Emman- 
uela opened a day-school. The most prominent 
citizens; as, the Juneaus, Johnsons, Furlongs, 
Hathaways, Baasens, Greulichs, Hoffmanns, etc. 
sent their daughters. 

The question where to establish the Motherhouse 
had not, as yet, been decided. Bishop Henni 
proposed the purchase of a farm at St. Francis' 
Station, or a place near his cemetery on the present 
Grand Avenue ; but Mother Caroline had a great 
preference for the hill on which the little convent 
stood, fondly calling it St. Mary's Hill. The 
question was necessarily referred to the Generalate 
in Munich, which was very dilatory, however, in 
granting a decision, in fact, never did give any 
definite answer. Our energetic Mother was, con- 
sequently, obliged to act upon her own responsi- 
bility in this matter. The community was steadily 
growing, the day-school progressing, with an 
increase of attendance ; more and more applications 
were made to receive boarding-pupils. Thus it 
became necessary, in 1852, to build a new addition 
to that of 1851, as Mother had begun to admit 
boarders in the fall of this year. One little house 
after the other was purchased, till, toward the 
opening of 1855, the half block from Milwaukee 
Street to the east-side alley belonged to the Sisters 
— unpaid, however. 

Finally, the two brick-houses above mentioned 
were offered for sale. Mother Caroline was anxious 
to obtain them, for she clearly saw that half a 
block would not answer her purpose. She applied 
to Munich for the required permission, but again 



138 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

she was obliged to anticipate tlie reply. Th| 
Bishop, to whom she referred the matter, 
encouraged her to proceed in her undertaking, 
telling her that officers in the time of war are often 
obliged to act without awaiting the command of 
their general. But how was she to raise the large 
sum of $11,000 required for the purchase, without 
adding to the large debt already contracted? 
Unexpectedly, assistance was offered by the 
Betzolt family, whose three daughters had already 
been entrusted to Mother Caroline. These were our 
present Sister M. Boniface, Superior of St. Marj 's 
Institute at Quincy; Sister M. Cunigunda, direct- 
ress of the aspirants in the motherhouse, and the 
deceased Sister M. Gisela, who were followed, 
some time later, by their elder Sister, M. Barbara. 
Mr. Betzolt placed at Mother's disposal the sum 
realized by the sale of his city property, amounting 
to $11,000! Thus was she enabled to purchase the 
two brick-houses and utilize them, in part, for the 
boarding pupils, whose number was steadily 
increasing. When further additions were made to 
the convent building, these houses were torn down 
and the material used. Mother Caroline did not 
secure the entire block before 1870. In 1861, '62 
and '64 the work of extending the Motherhouse was 
carried on most actively, under the supervision of 
Eev. Father Krautbauer, who was as fond of build- 
ing as he was schooled in the art. 

In the boarding-school, composed of pupils of 
different religious persuasions, as is almost 
necessarily the case in this country, our far-seeing 
Mother formed a separate department of only 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 139 

Catholic pupils, among whose number some of om 
most competent Sisters received their education. 
These young girls attended class with the other 
boarders, but they were inured to a plainer and 
simpler mode of life, taking part, moreover, in 
certain religious exercises adapted to their age and 
position in the house. Mother Caroline bestowed 
her special care upon them, receiving many a one 
gratis, if specially talented and virtuous. 

When, in 1886, want of room in the Convent 
rendered it necessary to discontinue the boarding- 
school, this department was retained. Already in 
1853 six, among thirty-three boarding-pupils, 
belonged to this class. 

^^In 1854,'' as one of them writes, '' we received 
the name of aspirants, which made us feel quite 
important. After our little plays, in the presence 
of the community, we would seat ourselves at 
Mother's feet, and great was our joy to receive her 
tokens of maternal affection, together with the 
sweet-meats she was wont to give us. When she 
was about to withdraw, we would cling to her 
arms, till she reached the cloister- door, saying, 
^^No farther now, until you have grown up." 
With a reverent kiss of her hand, we bade her good 
night, eagerly looking forward to that happy time. 
In those pleasant years, Eev. Mother and Ven. 
Sister Emmanuela often were engaged at embroid- 
ering sacred vestments, banners, etc. in our apart- 
ments. When there was an unusual pressure of 
work, we were allowed to stand beside their large 
frames, •splitting silk and crewel for them, thread- 
ing their needles, etc. What a pleasure for us ! and 



140 MOTHER CAROLI]S"E. 

how we teased Eev. dear Mother for the candi- 
date' s bonnet! Many a good admonition we would 
receive on these occasions, and many a maternal 
chiding for our mischievous tricks. Oh! those 
delightful days of yore!'' 

In the course of years, Mother Caroline also 
established boarding-schools in Baltimore, Govans- 
town, Quincy, Prairie du Chien, Washington 
Heights, Chatawa, Marinette, etc. She considered 
these institutions a necessity, and justly so. The 
reputation of a teaching order demands them, more 
especially in this country. As she never did 
things by halves, she was determined to have them 
thoroughly equipped and flourishing. It was not 
her wish, however, to open many institutes ; hence 
she refused numerous applications of this kind, no 
matter how advantageous the offer might be. She 
thought these establishments required too many 
subjects that might be more profitably employed 
for the general benefit of Catholic youth in 
parochial schools. On every occasion, she most 
emphatically declared parochial schools and orphan 
asylums to be the providential sphere of a School 
Sister's vocation ; that not to act upon this princi- 
ple were to deviate from the spirit of their blessed 
founders and the special duty assigned th^m by 
Divine Providence. For this reason she was most 
willing to take charge of parochial schools and 
orphanages, as far as the number of subjects at her 
disposal warranted. As the School Sisters were 
the first German religious in this country, and the 
Eedemptorist Fathers gave them charge- of the 
parochial schools in their large congregations. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 141, 

they, of course, in subsequent years, had the 
largest city- schools, especially in the East. From 
this circumstance, some took occasion to censure 
Mother Caroline, as though she cared ^nothing for 
smaller, poorer missions, being too proud or 
avaricious to take charge of such. To think or 
speak thus of Mother Caroline, was really doing 
her an injustice. A number of small branch- 
houses annually received their sustenance and cash 
from the Motherhouse. The narrator does not 
believe that Mother Caroline ever gave up a single 
school for want of sufficient salary, unless she was 
clearly convinced that just claims of the Sisters 
were withheld through ill will. To place all her 
Sisters in charge of large schools, would have been 
an easy matter for her, so numerous were the 
applications made; but, besides the larger and 
more profitable schools in charge of the Sisters, 
she wished to have a number of the poorer and 
smaller, and this, by no means, to keep up appear- 
ances, but simply to remain faitlxiul to the spirit of 
the founders of her congregation. Indeed, Mother 
Caroline was little subject to the weakness of con- 
cerning herself about appearances and the opinion 
of others. 

A pastor desirous of obtaining Sisters, not being 
acquainted with Mother Caroline, consulted the 
Sister Superior of a neighboring mission as to what 
he should write to the Eev. Mother, in order to 
secure a speedy compliance with his request. 
^^Oh!'' said the Sister, ^^just tell our Mother your 
children are poor and greatly neglected, then you 
will most easily succeed." — On another occasion;^ 



142 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

when Sisters, destined for a poor mission, first 
entered the wretched building that served as a 
..rJnireh, the priest with deep emotion cried out 
from the altar: ^^A thousand thanks to Thee, O 
Lord, for sending our children Sisters who have 
i^ot disdained our poor and abject colony.'' This 
^^as in 1878. Within late years. Mother Caroline 
took charge of several schools, from which she 
could scarcely expect even what was most neces- 
sary for the support of the Sisters. In 1886 she 
accepted an exceedingly poor mission on the simple 
condition that the congregation would have a well 
dug near the Sisters' house, lest they would have to 
go too far, to get water. The same year, she took 
charge of an Indian mission, when there was no 
prospect of getting any support from the govern- 
ment, although such was obtained later. Had this 
not been the case, however, she would have been 
just as well pleased to leave the Sisters in charge 
of the school. 

How noble and unselfish her motives were, in 
seeking to render her community beneficial to the 
greatest number of souls possible, is evident, 
moreover, from the measures she took to constitute 
it a missionary order. 

Notwithstanding her half French origin. Mother 
Caroline was a genuine German. Her education 
was thoroughly Teutonic. Her first Sister-com- 
panions were Germans. Called to America by 
German religious, the Sisters were chiefly destined 
for the education of German children in the New 
World. But all these considerations could not 
render her narrow-minded, with a leaning to 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 143 

nationalism. She surveyed the new field before 
her and understood the labor it required. It was 
not vain ambition to become the foundress of a 
religious society, numbering hundreds — yes, over 
two thousand members — that prompted her to open 
our convent portals to young girls of different 
nationalities ; no, it was tender love and compas- 
sion for so many neglected children. One of her first 
Sisters in Milwaukee was a half-breed Indian. To 
all, without distinction — Irish, French and Bohe- 
mian Sisters, she was the same loving, faithful 
mother. 

When, in the sixties, thousands of persecuted 
Poles began to flock to America, they soon found 
in Mother Caroline a truly noble friend. Well- 
behaved, talented girls of this nation were received 
and educated gratis, to take charge of Polish 
schools established chiefly in Milwaukee and Chi- 
cago. While these people were struggling with 
poverty, in the beginning, Mother Caroline was 
not at all concerned for any remuneration of the 
services rendered them. Her sole desire was to 
lend assistance where it was most needed. She 
had, indeed, the satisfaction to receive a really 
enthusiastic veneration from the noble-minded 
Poles — the clergy, as well as the Mty — in return 
for her charity and generosity. Mother Caroline 
was one of those noble souls that desire to become 
all to all, through the holiest of motives^ to gain 
souls for Christ. — For this reason she was willing 
also to take charge of boys' schools, from the 
beginning. She saw the indispensable necessity 
of thus extending the sphere of her community's 



144 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

labor, if thousands upon thousands of boys were 
not to be deprived of Christian education in a 
country where, even to the present day, there is no 
organized body of Catholic male teachers. But she 
would not have her Sisters place any obstacles in 
the way of secular teachers ; on the contrary, she 
exerted all her influence with bishops and priests to 
engage them, at least, in the higher classes of boys. 



CHAPTEE V. 



Faithful Assistance.— Father Urbanek.— Father Erant- 
baner.— Dr. Salzmann and Others. 

As before stated, Mother Caroline, during the 
fifties had many difficulties to contend with, from 
sources without and within the Motherhouse, that 
served as severest tests of her ability, prudence 
and constancy. Her extraordinary qualities, as 
we have seen, were fully equal to these trying 
difficulties; but truth and justice — not to say 
Mother Caroline's own gratitude — prompt us, also 
to state that she was favored with kindest assist- 
ance of most efficient men. First of all, and under 
all circumstances, Bishop Henni was her fatherly 
friend and counsellor. In his unassuming, pleasant 
way, he always claimed to have been the first 
chaplain of Notre Dame Convent. His unceasing 
love and fatherly interest in the community, of 
course, won for him the undying gratitude and 
deepest veneration of our noble-minded Mother. 
Gratitude was ever one of the most beautiful traits 
of her character. 






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MOTHEK CAROLINE. 145 

Up to March 1st, 1851, the Et. Eev. Bishop 
personally performed all priestly functions in the 
poor little convent-chapel, as far as possible. But 
it was his constant solicitude to provide the 
Sisters with an able spiritual director. His efforts 
met with success in securing the services of Eev. 
Father Urbanek, a very learned and pious priest. 
He was also a virtuoso in music and a composer of 
great merit. As is generally the case with genuine 
musicians, Father Urbanek was very nervous and 
excitable. In his theological views, he inclined to 
rigorism. To get along with him, was not an easy 
matter ; but our prudent and clever- minded Mother 
succeeded admirably. She only regarded the great 
ability and holy zeal of this servant of God, well 
knowing how to yield, and to accommodate herself 
to his views, if even a little storm did arise, now 
and then. As she herself had a cultivated taste 
for music, she made it her concern to have several 
young Sisters thoroughly instructed by Father 
Urbanek in this fine art. Thus she laid the 
foundation, for time to come, of the School Sisters' 
now generally acknowledged competency as music- 
teachers. The fine compositions of this zealous 
instructor, — for instance, his sequences for Easter 
and Pentecost, his Latin and German hymns, were 
so highly valued by Mother Caroline that they 
shall forever occupy a prominent place in the 
School Sisters' repertory, — they will continue to 
live among the traditions left by Mother Caroline. 
His priestly zeal and strict ascetic tendency were 
of great service to our Mother in directing young 
religious. If occasionally, his ardor inflicted a 



146 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

wound upon some weak soul, she knew how to 
apply a healing balm, without, however, detracting 
from the priest's authority. She employed every 
means to encourage these young religious in their 
struggle to attain the ideals he proposed. 

To mediate, appease, prop the bruised reed — 
encourage and cheer, — were admirable endowments 
of Mother Caroline. Every Sister found a strong 
support in her, without being spoiled or pampered, 
however. She was a mother as good and kind as 
she was prudent and firm. 

Father TJrbanek's successor was Eev. Fr. Xavier 
Krautbauer, a practical man in every respect, of 
noblest disposition. His assistance was valuable 
to Eev. Mother, especially in extending the 
Mo therhouse- buildings. As practical schoolman 
and catechist, he rendered distinguished service. 
His candid, upright mind, honest and trusty 
character, could but exert a most beneficial 
influence in forming the character of the young. 
His cheerful and amiable deportment won for him 
the general love and respect of the convent-pupils. 
He was quick-tempered, it is true, but his anger 
only lasted a moment ; in fact, he could not be 
angry with any one, and no one could be angry 
with him. Mother Caroline thoroughly understood 
his character ; and it is difficult to say which was 
greater, her grateful veneration for the good Father, 
afterwards Bishop of Green Bay, or his faithful 
devotedness to the School Sisters, more especially 
the Lady Superior, as he was wont to call her. 

Besides these excellent men, who, in virtue of 
their office, rendered Mother Caroline the most 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 147 

efficacious assistance, there were others upon 
whose kindly aid she could rely under all circum- 
stances, and whom she ever held in grateful 
remembrance. She had the good fortune to number 
the most distinguished priests of Wisconsin among 
her faithful friends — men who took the deepest 
interest in this courageous and sorely -tried 
Superioress. Chief among them, was the never-to- 
be-forgotten Dr. Salzmann, of whom she still spoke 
in her last illness, styling him, ^^The best man in 
the world." A letter to Eev. Jos. Eainer, Eector 
of the Salesianum, when in 1876 he wrote his model 
biography, ^^Dr. Salzmann' s Life and Labor," is 
not only a testimonial of the Doctor's friendship 
for Mother Caroline, but the noblest expression of 
her gratitude in return. ^^Since 1850," writes 
Mother Caroline, ^^I have known Dr. Salzmann as 
friend and patron of the School Sisters. While 
teaching at St. Mary's School, I first learned to 
know and esteem him as a friend of children and 
an excellent catechist. Although a learned theo- 
logian, he knew how to adajjt himself, with 
admirable patience and condescension, to the 
capacity of little ones, so that even the dullest 
among them could understand his explanation of 
Christian doctrine. His benevolence and kindness 
of heart, I experienced on different occasions. As 
every beginning is difficult we, too, had to struggle 
with great poverty when establishing our home in 
Milwaukee. On the Eve of All Saints, 1851, it 
happened that our shopper asked me in his 
presence what to get for the kitchen. I was obliged 
to say : ' 'We must be content with bread and 



148 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

potatoes to-morrow ; for there is no money in tlie 
house.'' ^No ; that will not do/ quickly protested 
Dr. Salzmann. ^On the feast of All Saints you 
must have meat, ' and he generously handed me a 
dollar out of his own slender purse, which I could 
not refuse. 

During our first years at Milwaukee, he was our 
ordinary confessor. Our convent festivities were 
often enhanced by his presence and his inspired 
sermons ; and when the first School Sister died, he 
delivered a funeral sermon in the graveyard, so 
impressive, that, forthwith, two young maidens, 
abandoned the world and begged admission into 
our Order. I also witnessed his great frugality and 
humility. On returning from his laborious mission- 
ary journeys or business enterprises, hungry and 
exhausted, he would modestly beg for a little 
refreshment and cheerfully content himself with a 
meager repast. Even bread-crumbs he prized as a 
gift of God, not to be wasted. Through Dr. Salz- 
mann' s influence, we obtained Eev. Father Urbanek, 
as our Spiritual Director ; and when, in 1858, this 
good Father lost his life by the explosion of the 
steamer ^^Pennsylvania," Dr. Salzmann hastened 
to the convent, like a consoling angel, to pray and 
weep for his departed friend at the foot of the 
tabernacle, — ^to comfort the Sisters and to exhort 
them to be resigned to the holy will of God. Even 
myself, sorely tried and afflicted, he encouraged 
and cheered, bidding me to adore the designs of 
Providence in preserving me for continued labor in 
the interests of our congregation, while the pious 
Father Urbanek, so well prepared for death, was 
summoned to his eternal reward. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 149 

In this bereavemeiit, the Eev. Eector Heiss and 
Dr. Salzmann endeavored to send us spiritual 
succor from the seminary. Desirous of obtaining 
Eev. Father Krautbauer as our chaplain, we had 
long importuned the Et. Eev. Bishop Timon of 
Buffalo, but in vain. Again Dr. Salzmann was our 
friend in need, generously traveling to Buffalo, to 
plead our cause with the Bishop, which he did so 
perseveringly that the favor was, finally, granted, 
and Eev. F. X. Krautbauer became our Spiritual 
Father. Oh ! that our amiable friend and patron 
were still among the living ! But his labor of love 
and zeal for the glory of God is accomplished. May 
he rest in peace, enjoying the eternal bliss of 
Heaven ! ' ' 

Together with Dr. Salzmann, others here deserve 
mention, especially the first rector of the Salesi- 
anum, the late Most Eev. Michael Heiss, Arch- 
bishop of Milwaukee, — Father Stanislaus Lalu- 
miere, S. J., — Father Fabian, pioneer of the Capu- 
chin Order in Wisconsin, the Very Eev. Fathers 
Francis Haas, Bonaventure Frey, Anthony Eotten- 
steiner. In other parts of the country there were 
also numbers to whom Mother Caroline was grate- 
fully devoted ; — The Et. Eev. Boniface Wimmer, 
Arch-abbot of St. Vincent's, Pa., — the saintly 
EedemiDtorist Jno. Ifep. Neumann, — Eev. Fathers 
Helmprecht, Anwander, Seelos, Euland, Mueller, 
Hespelein, Holzer, Schauer, Loewekamp and 
others of the same congregation ; among the Fran- 
ciscans, especially the able school-man, Father 
Mauritius Klostermann, and the learned and pious 
Father Innocent Wappelhorst. 



150 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

Nor should the renowned Jesuit missionary, Eev. 
F. X. Weninger, be forgotten, who, on his missions, 
more than once exerted his influence in behalf of 
the School Sisters, and scarcely ever passed 
through Milwaukee without paying a visit to 
Mother Caroline. 



CHAPTEE VI. 

The Motherhouse Chapel.— Chapel of Perpetual Adora- 
tion.— Mother Caroline's Zeal for the House of God. 

A very joyful event for Mother Caroline and her 
growing community was the completion of the 
Convent Chapel and its solemn dedication, Oct. 2nd, 
1855, by Et. Eev. Bishop Henni. In her tender 
devotion to the holy angels, she had requested the 
Bishop to perform this ceremony on the feast of 
The Holy Guardian Angels, and to give the chapel 
the name, ^^St. Mary's of the Holy Angels." Her 
wish was fulfilled. As all the religious Eeceptions 
and Professions were to be held in this Chapel, it 
was especially dear to Mother Caroline. The more 
her means allowed it, the more richly did she 
adorn this cherished sanctuary from year to year ; 
but not before the eighties, could she succeed in 
thoroughly renovating the interior of the building. 
This she did with so much zeal and at such 
expense, that the sacred place, though not of any 
considerable architectural beauty, was rendered 
one of the most pleasing and attractive chapels in 
this country. Ingenious as her mind ever was in 
designing devotion-inspiring decorations, she 
heeded not the criticism of too much crowding, 




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occasionally uttered by those of plainer taste. 
The chief ornaments consist of the fourteen stations 
of the Way of the Cross, along the lower range of 
the walls ; above these, the mysteries of the Holy 
Eosary painted on panels by the Sisters ; statues 
of patron saints, especially those representing the 
different nationalities of which the Order is com- 
posed, standing beneath rich canopies between the 
windows ; a beautiful gallery front with paintings of 
St. Cecilia, St. Gregory the Great, and David, the 
royal psalmist. 

The walls and ceiling are inlaid with the finest 
kinds of wood. The little altar on the Gospel 
side displays a mounted picture of the Perpetual 
Succor, serving, at the same time, as a pedestal for 
the beautiful statue of the Sacred Heart. On the 
Epistle side, a statue of St. Joseph, surmounting a 
picture of St. Theresa, so highly venerated by 
Mother Caroline, invites to devotion. But the 
chief object of her zeal was the sanctuary. She 
spared no expense in its ornamentations : the floor, 
inlaid with wood mosaics; costly relief -work 
surmounting the two side doors ; beautiful paint- 
ings, in particular, the magnificent picture above 
the rich altar, built in correct artistic style. She 
expended over $15,000 in this renovation of the 
OonventChapel. — Her zeal was not confined to the 
Motherhouse, however ; she was equally concerned 
for our institutes and other branch-houses in which 
we have chapels of our own, always requiring the 
Sisters to furnish and trim them as beautifully as 
possible. 

Even during the last weeks of her life she was 



152 MOTHER CATiOLINE. 

greatly concerned for the building of a chapel at 
Govanstown near Baltimore, Md. In our institute 
there, the Sisters had, indeed, appropriated some 
of the finest apartments to chapel purposes, and 
furnished them in a very creditable manner ; but, 
after all, they were ordinary rooms. At the fare- 
well visit of Ven. Mothers Theophila and Clara, 
the dying Commissary General gave orders that 
a beautiful chapel should be built without delay. 
When, in the course of a few weeks, the plans for 
the building arrived, she inspected them with the 
greatest interest, and dictated further orders with 
her wonted clearness and precision. 

Our sainted Mother was, indeed, possessed of 
true zeal for the house of God. Through love for 
the Most Holy Sacrament and veneration for our 
Blessed Lady, she was prepared for any sacrifice. 
Her maternal affection for the Sisters, moreover, 
had a great share in this solicitude for their 
convent chapels. 

She required the Sisters to have plain houses and 
tolerated no furniture inconsistent with religious 
simplicity and poverty, excepting, at the most, 
those apartments accessible to externs ; as, the 
reception rooms, study and exhibition halls etc., 
in order to comply with the requirements of 
society. But it was always her will that the 
dwelling of our Savior should be rendered dear 
and attractive to the Sisters even by its external 
beauty. 

^^I know not how it comes,'' remarked Mother 
Caroline during her last illness,'' my thoughts are 
always in the chapel, not in the oratory. As the 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 153 

Blessed Sacrament was not only kept in the chapel, 
but also in the oratory, where she had usually 
received Holy Communion with the Sisters and 
joined in the devotions of the community, it waa 
quite clear to us why, after all, her spirit rather 
wandered to the chapel, from her couch of pain, 
and loved to dwell there. It was the memory of 
the holy scenes witnessed in that chapel and the 
solemn events there celebrated, that drew her so 
forcibly. For thirty-seven years the Eeceptions 
and Professions of her spiritual daughters had been 
held there. For thirty-seven years, hundreds 
and hundreds of them had assembled there to 
engage in the exercises of the annual retreat, thus 
to renew and fortify themselves in spirit for the 
laborious duties of their vocation. Hundreds of 
times had she gone forth from that chapel, usually 
surrounded by a great number of the community, 
after imploring grace and strength for her distant 
and wearisome visitation- journeys ; and just as 
often had she, on her return, directed her first 
steps toward this cherished sanctuary, to offer a 
fervent prayer of thanksgiving, in the midst of her 
Sisters. Heaven alone has numbered the long, 
silent hours she spent in this chapel, kneeling in 
her little corner, not unfrequently till late at night. 
No wonder that during her illness her spirit, by 
day and night, still lingered in that sacred place, 
so vastly important to herself and her community. 
The Chapel of Perpetual Adoration, Mother 
Caroline was not to see in its completion. This 
was, indeed, a painful disappointment for her, but 
she bore it with cheerful resignation. '^I shall soon 



154 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

behold sometMng more beautiful than your pet,'' 
she remarked one day to the narrator, with a 
pleasant smile. 

While she was away on her last visitation to 
New Orleans, he had had the beautiful communion- 
railing put up, hoping to surprise her on her 
return ; but, alas ! it was too late. A dream she 
related one morning, gives evidence of her longing 
to see this dear chapel once more. ^^The Sisters 
had brought me as far as the Mater Dolorosa 
Chapel. I had merely some wrappings about me, 
as I could not be fully dressed. While stopping 
here, we suddenly heard approaching steps and 
voices. You (the narrator) and a few other gen- 
tlemen were about to enter the chapel. ^ ^O Sisters, ' ' 
said I, '^hide me in the confessional; for I am not 
fully dressed." They complied, and there I was 
seated in the confessional ! Presently you advanced 
toward me, and — oh! such a fright! I awoke — and 
that was the end of my visit to the Adoration 
Chapel.'' 

Although she had several years previous, given 
over the charge of completing the Chapel to the 
narrator, she continued to take the most active 
interest in all that pertained to it. The cherished 
wish of her life was fulfilled — her heart's prayer, 
answered. Friends that loved and revered her, 
had taken pleasure in offering contributions — 
large and small — toward erecting the expensive 
building. Thus it was rendered, on the one hand, 
a token of veneration for the dear departed, and, 
on the other, her gift of thanksgiving for all the 
blessings received during her life. Besides the 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 155 

spiritual temple of her religious congregation, the 
Adoration Chapel shall forever stand, as we hope, 
a beautiful monument to her own pious zeal and 
the yeneration of those whose names are registered 
among the benefactors of the Chapel. The donations 
she received amounted to more than forty-thousand 
dollars. With this sum it was completed and paid. 
If, nevertheless, the narrator destines the net profits 
of this book for the Adoration Chapel, he does so 
with the intention of furnishing the sacred edifice 
with a number of articles still wanting and which 
should be of a quality worthy of this lovely shrine 
and its sublime purpose. Charitable gifts for its 
further adornment will be gratefully accepted as 
tributes to the memory of Mother Caroline. 

A few remarks on the chief motives that actuated 
Mother Caroline in the erection of the Adoration 
Chapel, may not be inconsistent with the character 
of this book. Love to the Sacred Heart of Jesus 
in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, gratitude 
to God for the rich blessings attending her life of 
labors, prayer — unceasing prayer, to invoke the 
Divine Mercy, — these were pre-eminently her 
motives in desiring to have a Chapel of Perpetual 
Adoration. But there were others, besides, equally 
holy and, at the same time, practical : 

A motherhouse is chiefly the home of the 
youngest and the eldest members of a religious 
congregation. The candidates and novices are to 
be initiated in the exercise and spirit of prayer, 
especially in the love and adoration of the Divine 
Spouse to whom they desire to consecrate them- 
selves. Among the elder Sisters, the number of 



156 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

those is ever increasing who, broken down beneath 
the burden and labor of the day, should find a good 
home in the Motherhouse, there to end their 
religious life in a pious and holy manner. To 
accomplish this, no better opportunity could be 
offered them than the adoration of their Divine 
Spouse in the mystery of His infinite love. What 
could render the years of old age and infirmity 
sweeter, more meritorious and, at the same time, 
more serviceable to their community, with its 
innumerable wants, than this same perpetual adora- 
tion! Mother Caroline, moreover, expected the 
Adoration Chapel to become a strong bond of love 
and union for all the members of our widely 
scattered congregation. The motherhouse of a 
religious order must be dearly loved and cherished 
by all its members — must be the center strongly 
attracting the eyes and hearts of all. Further- 
more, if a religious order, having the growth and 
extent of our institute, in the course of years, 
requires subdivision into more and more provinces, 
the demand for a central point of union becomes 
all the greater. It was this idea that promi3ted 
Mother Caroline to interest all the Sisters of the 
West and East, IS^orth and South, in the erection of 
this Chapel. She regarded it a favorable circum- 
stance that the corner-stone was laid on the feast of 
St. Ignatius Loyola, 1887, when representatives of 
the whole congregation were present. The fact of 
all the Sisters taking part, individually, in the pur- 
chase of the Monstrance, she regarded ^ a pledge of 
their zealous participation in the adoration itself. 
The same high signification she attached to all the 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 157 

Sisters' individual contribution towards furnishing 
the wax candles necessary for the uninterrupted 
exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. As late as 
June 8th, 1892, only six weeks before her death, 
she uttered the wish or, I might say, made the 
appointment to have only one Adoration Chapel in 
the entire congregation, because, apart from the 
great difficulty attending such an undertaking, the 
one chapel ought to be and remain the common 
good of all. 

The worldly ambitious raise monuments grand 

To their own name and honor, for ages to stand ; 

But what is the grandeur here crumbling to dust, 

Compared with the glory that crowneth the just? 

This thought is suggested as oft as we view 

Our dear Mother Caroline's monument true — 

The Chapel she built in our loved convent-sphere, 

In answer to prayer of many a year. 

She had yearned for this beautiful shrine more and more. 

The sweet Heart of Jesus fore'er to adore ; 

And when 'twas complete, in the light of God's sun. 

She felt that the prize in her race she had won. 

This joy of her spirit dispelling death's gloom. 

She smiled "Nunc dimittis" and sank to the tomb. 

The Chapel's exterior, so modest and plain. 

Denounces all show that is earthly and vain. 

It hideth within all its beauty and worth. 

More precious than riches and gems of this earth. 

We enter its portals — behold the life-dream 

Of our dear sainted Mother in fair visions beam. 

In symmetry, graces of Art here combine 

With Religion's chaste symbols of perfect design. 

From firm, solid flooring of pure marble white 

And finer wainscoting of polish most bright. 

We lift our eyes upward to high frescoed walls, 

And witness the beauty that over them falls, 

Ivike radiance from Heaven on souls strong in love 

As the jasper-built walls of those mansions above. 



158 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

The high, vaulted ceiling, in heaven's own blue, 

Its star-spangled brightness unfoldeth to view 

O'er the nave of the chapel, where angels display 

The symbols of love on Redemption's great day. 

And oh ! the grand vision revealed to the eye 

Above the arched sanctuary, lifts us on high 

To the throne of the Lamb, all resplendent with light, 

Surrounded by angels in clouds tinted bright. 

Aye, do we not hear them those golden harps play. 

As they chant '^Sanctus, Sanctus," in strains that convey 

"Benediction and power and glory for aye 

To the Lamb on the throne"? — Ah! we know He is there 

On our altar of exquisite beauty most rare. 

It is wrought of fine marble from Italy and France 

And most brilliant on3'x from Mexican sands. 

That pillar triune which the throne-room upholds 

The grandest of themes to Christ's spouses unfolds : 

'Tis faith, hope and love that so sweetly unite. 

To bear the soul upward to regions of light. 

And fit her, the God of her heart to enshrine 

In closest of union and love all divine. 

'Tis faith, hope and love that inflame the desire 

Herself to consume in a mystical fire. 

As victim to Jesus, the Lamb that was slain, 

To atone for our guilt and our ransom to gain. 

His Sacrifice daily is offered anew, 

Till time be no more, and the Lamb we shall view 

In the Deity's glory, here faintly fore-shown 

By the brilliance surrounding the Sacrament Throne. 

Its cupola, bright as the radiance of morn. 

By pillars of rich alabaster is borne. 

And the canopy, sparkling like crown of pure gold, 

Doth shelter a monstrance of beauty untold. 

'Twas an off' ring of love on the bright Jubilee 

Of our dear sainted Mother — alas ! 'twas to be 

The vigil of that endless feast-day above. 

Where, unveiled, she beholdeth the God of her love. 

But here let us tarry, our voices to blend 
In fervent thanksgivings that ever ascend 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 159 

From hearts of adorers before this sweet shrine, 
Kspoused to their Jesus, the Bridegroom Divine. 
Oh ! be it their prayer, while time onward rolls, 
That the Chapel remain the pure joy of our souls, 
The magnet, to draw them to Jesus' sweet Heart, 
'Mong those who have chosen, indeed, the best part. 
May it stand as a fortress, where refuge we find 
From foes that assail -us with forces combined ; 
Stand, as our light-house, to guide us aright 
On life's stormy sea, in the soul's earthly night ; 
Stand, as our monitor, friendly, yet stern. 
To warn us, that. ne'er from the path we may turn 
That our dear sainted Mother courageously trod — 
The Way of the Cross, which alone leads to God ; 
Stand, as our treasury, whence to obtain 
The riches of grace and our heavenly gain ; 
Stand, as the sun in the rose-tinted sky, 
To cheer, when the evening of life draweth nigh. 
Oh ! then, in its turret Saint Carolus' bell 
Will solemnly toll a sweet, hopeful farewell ! 



CHAPTEE VII. 



Mother Caroline's Unremitting Labors and their Blessed 
Results. 

When^ in 1850, Mother Caroline arrived in Mil- 
waukee, the congregation of School Sisters had six 
houses ; three in Baltimore, one in Pittsburg, 
Philadelphia and Buffalo, — total number of inmates, 
forty; viz. : 16 Sisters, 8 novices and 16 candidates, 
— having in charge about 1000 pupils. According 
to the catalogue of 1891, the Sisters, at the time of 
Mother Caroline's death, numbered over 2000 ; their 
pupils in the parochial schools nearly 70,000; 
orphans under their charge, 1500. A striking 
proof, indeed, of the blessings attending the labors 



160 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

of the dear departed. It is true, in America 
numbers increase with great j?apidity, owing to 
immigration and the new settlements constantly 
made. Generally speaking, it is an exaggeration 
to ascribe the growth of a congregation, diocese or 
religious association to the personal merits of any 
individual. Far be it from us, to enhance the 
merits of one by detracting from those of many. 
We merely adduce the above figures, to give our 
readers an idea of the labor and care devolving 
upon her who had the superior charge. Only three 
small parties of Sisters were sent from the Munich 
Motherhouse during the very first years of the 
Congregation in America, before Mother Caroline 
had received her appointment. Hence, she was 
charged with the training of nearly all the Sisters 
and the proper disposal of them in the missionary 
work of the Order. Up to 1876, this task was 
entirely in her own hands. Through her efforts, a 
motherhouse was then established in Baltimore, so 
that candidates and novices in the East can receive 
their religious training in that province, as also the 
Sisters, their api3ointments and direction. In con- 
sequence of this division, her immediate labor was 
somewhat diminished, but not her cares, as the 
entire responsibility still weighed upon her. Nor 
did the amendment of the constitutions of the 
Order, in 1880, effect any change in regard to her 
charge and position. The principal article ^f 
amendment is the canonical election of provin- 
cials, as well for the Western, as for the Eastern 
Province; but, according to the same modification, 
Mother Caroline was elected Commissary General 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 161 

of the entire Congregation in America. Hence, we 
may trntMully say, till the time of her happy 
death, a period of about forty- two years — she exer- 
cised chief authority in governing and directing her 
great religious family. Moreover, the geographical 
area over which the congregation was spread must 
be taken into consideration. In view of our 
country's wide expanse and the great size of its 
individual states, a numeration of those in which 
Mother Caroline founded branch-houses, will 
suffice to give some idea of her extraordinary labor. 
Sisters of our congregation conduct schools in the 
following states, which we give in chronological 
order ; that is, according to the time in which the 
respective missions were founded : — Maryland, 
Pennsylvania, N^ew York, Wisconsin, Louisiana, 
Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Ifew Jersey, Iowa, 
Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Mississippi, Ala- 
bama, Massachusetts, — also in Canada. — For more 
than thirty years the sphere of the Sisters' labor 
has extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mis- 
sissippi Eiver, from the Gulf of Mexico to Lake 
Michigan, — a distance of about 1200 miles in both 
directions. With the exception of a few houses 
founded within the j)ast ten years, Mother Caroline 
often visited everyone of our missions. The 
journeys she was, consequently, obliged to under- 
take, merit a separate chapter, especially, as many 
of them were attended with great hardships, some 
of them even threatening her life with immediate 
dangers, from which she narrowly escaped and not 
without the visible protection of Heaven. — In order 
to maintain an intimate union with the Sisters in 



162 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

all these houses, Mother Caroline continually kept 
up an active correspondence. All the local supe- 
riors were required, to write every month, the rest 
of the Sisters on suitable occasions. Each and 
every one of them had the liberty to write to her 
at any time. Every letter received prompt atten- 
tion. She had extensive business correspondence, 
besides, with bishops and priests, etc ; and for all 
this she employed but one secretary. 

It is not surprising, therefore, that she was nearly 
always at her writing desk, till, as she would say, 
her fingers cracked and her head burned. A trait 
of her character before mentioned in the account 
of her early youth, essentially contributed toward 
keeping her thus ever busily engaged ; she had no 
hobby. She devoted her time solely to the affairs 
of the Order. A recreation trip was ever out of 
question. On her journeys, she only visited the 
Sisters' dwellings, their schools and the respective 
churches ; mayhap, also the bishop's residence, 
and, if required, that of the pastor. Sight- seeing 
in any of our cities had no charm for her. Now and 
then, the Sisters had recourse to some artifice, tak- 
ing her on a round-about way through some of the 
finer parts of a city, in order to show her some- 
thing new or grand. 

She was familiar with no other places, all over 
the country she loved so well, than those to which 
duty called her. Even in Milwaukee, more espe- 
cially dear to her, she scarcely knew any of the 
streets by name, and never saw the interior of any 
building, without really having occasion to enter. 
All her time and attention belonged to the Order. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 163 

It would be very interesting to give an account, 
in detail, of all the missions she founded in so 
many parts of the country. This would be entering 
into a history of the Order, however, — a pleasure 
which the writer must forego. His present task 
is to delineate a life-picture of the dear departed — 
a faithful sketch of her character, in which it is not 
necessary to enter into all the details of her 
laborious career. 

But one prominent feature may not be over- 
looked. Mother Caroline well understood how to 
impart her own industrious habits and untiring 
zeal to her community. Eager, cheerful and self- 
sacrificing application to duties assigned, she 
required of all. A sleepy, sluggish, mechanical 
way of doing things, she abhorred from her soul. 
With kind, maternal solicitude, she showed her 
consideration for ailing Sisters. Willingly she 
afforded them rest and recreation during the vaca- 
tions, even, though considerable expense was 
incurred in taking a trip to some other convenient 
house of the Order. But great zeal in the discharge 
of duties, she expected from all her spiritual 
daughters, desiring her community to be an army 
of faithful laborers, — and, be it said to the Sisters' 
honor — such it is. If we take into consideration, 
moreover, that the best of motives actuated 
Mother Caroline in her own labors and those she 
assigned her Sisters, it does not appear surprising 
that the blessing of God rested upon them. 

Mother Caroline was no money-maker ; and, by 
no means, did she hold those local superiors in 
highest estimation who sent the most money to the 



164 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

Motherhouse. Again and again she exhorted 
superiors to provide well for their subjects, taking 
heed not to become stingy, while in duty bound 
carefully to manage their household and keep their 
accounts. 

In regard to herself, she would often jokingly 
say she was particularly fond of little green pictures. 
She loas fond of them, it is true, but only to make 
use of them for the glory of God, in promoting 
good works by liberal contributions — more liberal, 
forsooth, than anyone, except the narrator, prob- 
ably knows. Indeed, it was well for her that she 
was not free to act upon the impulse of her gener- 
ous heart in such matters, — her vow of poverty 
and the consciousness of her responsibility serving 
to keep her within proper bounds. 

The external blessings that attended her unceasing 
labors, were not her only recompense ; much 
greater were the interior spiritual favors she 
enjoyed. Was it not an unspeakable blessing that, 
in spite of her generous — and the writer, speaking 
from inmost conviction, may add — exaggerated 
avowal of her failings, she could exclaim with 
greatest confidence, '^I meant welP' and, with 
admirable tranquillity of mind, so hopefully go 
forth to meet her God and Judge*^ 

As to her community, we must admit, it is not 
without defects and faults ; not all its members are 
equally good and dutiful. Among them, too, there 
have been some that proved unfaithful, yet, God 
be praised, but few. 

It is generally acknowledged, however, that a 
good spirit prevails among the School Sisters — 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 165 

Fidelity to Vocation. — Besides the hope of her own 
eternal reward, the conviction Mother Caroline had 
gained of her Sisters' fidelity to their vocation,, 
filled her with sweetest consolation. With grateful 
recognition, she often spoke of this, and on her 
death-bed she wrote to the Mother Superior General 
in ]\[unich, assuring her that she can trust the 
Sisters in America — that they are faithful. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Wearisome and Dangerous Trarels.— The Catastrophe on 
the Mississippi, June 13th, 1858. 

The first branch-house founded by Mother Caro- 
line outside the city of Milwaukee, was that of 
Mount Carmel, Fond du Lac Co.;^ now generally 
known by the name of Mt. Calvary. Eev. Casper 
Eehrl, a pious and truly apostolic missionary, had 
built a little church on this beautiful hill in the 
backwoods, around which pioneer settlers formed 
one of the first congregations in Wisconsin. In 
compliance with his earnest solicitations to obtain 
Sisters for his mission. Mother Caroline made a 
trip to Mt. Carmel — a trip, indeed — such as were 
made in those early days, — on foot or in rough 
wagons usually drawn by oxen, over stumps and 
stones, through marshy wilds, — just as chances 
offered. For want of Sisters, as well as money, 
Mother Caroline was generally obliged to travel all 
alone ; but she never lacked courage. Hardships 
seemed to have a charm for her zealous missionary 
spirit ; but this trip almost proved disastrous. It 
was the eve of Corpus Christie and she hoped to 



166 MOTHER CAEOLIXE. 

reach Mount Carmel before night. At a certain 
station, she engaged a sort of emigrant wagon, can- 
,yas- covered J to [protect the traveler from the heat 
of the sun. The afternoon was very warm, and, 
riding westward, the blazing sun shone directly 
into the face of the driver, while Mother Caroline, 
seated further back, was well screened. Guileless 
as a child and always full of kind consideration 
for others, she invited the farmer to seat himself 
near her. But she soon had reason to regret her 
kindness ; for he was a bad man. Ifo sooner did 
she perceive this than she threw her satchel out of 
the wagon, and, with one bound, she too, was out 
on the road. In a voice of thunder, she lectured 
the driver and bade him be gone. Fortunately 
spying a log cabin, in the distance, she wearily 
plodded on, under the protection of her guardian 
angel, and reached it in safety. The rude dwelling 
belonged to a virtuous young couple, who at once 
offered her hospitality. As it had grown too late 
to think of reaching Mt. Carmel before dark, 
Mother Caroline gratefully accepted the invitation 
to remain in their cabin over night. She soon felt 
quite at home with these good people. A storm 
arose during the night, and the rain trickling down 
through the roof, showed her that it was not quite 
water-proof. She enjoyed the fun, opened her 
large umbrella over her bed, and relieved her 
kind hosts of their embarrassment by her pleasant 
jokes. At day-break the obliging farmer set 
out for Mt. Carmel, with our traveler. They soon 
camiB to a brook so swollen by the rain, that, to cross 
it, was not an easy task. But the farmer was 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 167 

practical, and so was the Sister. Looking for a long 
pole, he hung her satchel on it, and, loaning her 
his big boots, he waded across, holding the pole at 
one end. Courageously she followed, holding fast 
to the other, the satchel swinging between them. 
They reached Mt. Carmel before Divine Service 
began, to the great joy of the pioneer priest, who 
was seated on a stump, outside the parsonage, 
trying to give his foot-gear something of a festive 
appearance. Our traveler was very thankful to 
her faithful Eaphael, and offered him a remunera- 
tion for his services; but good Mr. Dreyfuss, for 
such was his name, positively declined, only 
requesting an occasional remembrance at prayer, to 
obtain God's blessing for himself and wife. Grate- 
ful, as Mother Caroline ever was, she frequently 
inquired about good Mr. Dreyfuss, who was really 
afterwards richly blessed by Heaven. When his 
guest, in course of time, became the generally 
revered Mother Caroline, he took great pleasure in 
relating this interesting adventure, and, even on 
his death-bed, he still ascribed the blessing bestowed 
upon him, to the pious prayers of the religious 
whom he had given lodging in his humble log-cabin. 
In 1852, Mother Caroline opened the second 
branch-house of the West (outside Milwaukee) at 
Detroit, Mich., in St. Mary's Parish, attended by 
the Eedemptorists. She again traveled alone with 
barely enough money to pay her fare, and not a 
cent over for hack or omnibus. On her way from 
the landing to St. Mary's Church, she met the 
venerable Bishop Lefevre. This aged missionary, 
who for many years had carried the sacred vessels 



168 MOTHER CAROLINE . 

etc. for the altar on his back, accosted her in a 
friendly manner, saying: ^^Well, Sister, why don't 
you take a cab"? — God bless you! " — and passed on. 
Our good Mother, setting down her heavy satchel 
and panting with exhaustion, reverently returned 
his greeting, but thought within herself: ^^If only 
the good Bishop would add twenty-five cents to his 
blessing, so that I could take a cab.'' 

The numerous journeys she had to undertake 
during the fifties, were generally attended with 
extraordinary hardships. As she was enlarging 
the Motherhouse, si "^^ was obliged to reckon every 
cent, and, as is evei the case with noble-minded 
persons, it was in supplying her own personal wants 
that she was most saving. Usually procuring but 
second-class tickets on railroads, she was obliged 
to ride in crowded emigrant coaches. Some of the 
conductors, would occasionally take her into those 
of the first class ; but, at change of cars, another, 
less obliging, would show her back to the low 
class again. In those years, she had to make 
many a trip on Lake Michigan, between Milwaukee 
and Sheboygan, Green Bay, Chicago, etc. Boats 
proceeded slowly then, and their passengers were 
not always of a very select class. Now and then, 
she was the only lady among the rough frontier 
men. Her noble bearing inspired them with 
respect, so that no one ever ventured to show her 
any rudeness. On one occasion only, she was in 
distressing danger. As there were no convents in 
which she could lodge, she was obliged to repair to 
hotels, in the choice of which her scanty purse did 
not allow her to be very particular. She would 



MOTHER CAKOLINE. 169 

lock her door at nightj connnending herself, with 
courage and confidence, to the protection of God 
and His holy angels, whose assistance she had so 
remarkably experienced from her early childhood. 

One night, in a Chicago hotel, some one tried 
three times to force her door open. She called for 
help, but no one was near. Fervently invoking the 
divine assistance, she maintained her composure, 
as she was ever wont to do, even in the most trying 
and painful circumstances. Writing her name and 
place of residence on a slip of paper, she carefully 
hid it in her bosom. ^^If I should be robbed and 
murdered," thought our good Mother, ^^I shall at 
least be identified." Fortunately, she succeeded in 
obtaining help, at last. If we take into considera- 
tion all the wearisome visitation-tours Mother 
Caroline undertook from Milwaukee to the East 
and the distant South, during the fifties, besides 
all her travels through the back-woods of the West, 
beset with so many hardships, which the priva- 
tions of extreme poverty rendered all the more 
painful, we may say, without exaggeration, this 
courageous woman led a truly apostolic life. Only 
a '^Mulier fortis" — a strong woman, was equal to 
the task. 

These journeys were often attended with immi- 
nent danger of death. On her way to the East, in 
1855, the train ran off the track on the so-called 
Horse Shoe among the Alleghany Mountains. 
Several coaches were precipitated down the slope, 
and many passengers met with a horrible death. 
Fortunately, the coach in which Mother Caroline 
was, remained on the track, but sustained a shock 



170 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

SO violent that she was hurled from her seat 
against the door, barely escaping with a bleeding 
wound on her head. 

Several years later , near Christmas, she again 
encountered the greatest danger on the same route. 
This time the train ran into a tunnel blocked with 
snow-drifts, in which it stuck fast for four hours. 
I^he renowned Father Hecker, who was in the 
same coach with Mother Caroline, kindly offered 
her his services, for which she was grateful all 
her life. 

But the most dangerous and painful disaster she 
ever met with, occurred in 1858 on the never-to-be 
forgotten 13th of June, feast of St. Antony of 
Padua. It was the burning of the steamer ^^Penn- 
sylvania'' on the lower Mississippi near Memphis. 
Accompanied by the Eev. Father Antony Urbanek, 
she was returning from a visitation to New 
Orleans. As steamers, at that time, often ran 
races, a trip on the river was very dangerous. The 
following account of the catastrophe was written 
by Mother Caroline, four days afterwards, in a 
circular addressed to the Sisters : — 

Motherhouse, June 17th, 1858. 
My dear Sisters : 

My visitation journey to New Orleans, on 
which I set out May 28th, terminated with great 
afflictions. I had to take our two young Sisters, 
M. Patricia and Hyacintha with me, and our good 
Eev. Father accompanied us. We reached New 
Orleans with unusual speed, and on the feast of 
Corpus Christi at 6 A. M. we were at the Sisters' 
house. This unexpected meeting was a joyful 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 171 

surprise for all. I had the consolation to find the 
Sisters all enjoying good health, excepting our 
dear Sister Jacolbina, who is not really sick, but 
very delicate. We have 120 orphans in our asylum 
there. Notwithstanding the great heat, they, too, 
are all w^ll and in good spirits; but the Sisters 
have hard work to take care of them. The English, 
as well as the German schools, have a great increase 
of attendance, for which reason, I had to hasten 
thither with the two above named Sisters. We staid 
six days and suffered considerably from the heat ; 
yet it was not as oppressive as we had expected. 
New Orleans is threatened with an inundation. 
The Mississippi has been overflowing for six 
weeks, and many disasters have occurred, in con- 
sequence. All the sugar and cotton plantations 
are submerged, so that there is no hope for any 
harvest. The water still continues to rise, and 
danger threatens more and more. Let us pray that 
God may avert it, for the Sisters in New Orleans 
are as dear to our hearts as all the rest. The poor 
Sisters, so far away from the Motherhouse, wept 
bitterly when we bade them adieu. Eev. Father 
assured them that nothing but sin could separate 
us. June 9th, at 9 P. M., we boarded the large 
steamer ^^Pennsylvania'' on our homeward route. 
I had a girl of sixteen with me, who had begged 
admission into our Order, determined to 
accompany me. On the steamer, I met with a 
Sister of Charity, by the name of Mary Ellen, who 
was traveling to her motherhouse at Emmettsburg. 
She, too, had a young girl with her. Eev. Father 
found an agreeable traveling companion in a 



172 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

French Lazarist, De la Croix. Our steamer, 
heavily loaded, made but slow headway. High 
water, too, may have been the cause. Our journey, 
however, appeared prosperous; no one appre- 
hended any danger. Sunday morning, June 13th, 
feast of St. Antony, I had just risen and dressed, 
when there was a tremendous crash and the bolted 
cabin doors burst open with great force. I went to 
see what had happened, and found there was an 
explosion. My first thought was of Eev. Father, 
I turned to go to his state-room, but no trace of it 
remained. Together with many others, it had been 
hurled into the air — yes, a third part of the 
steamer had met this fate, and the sleeping passen • 
gers had been dashed — some alive, others dread 
fully mangled — into the burning mass or seething 
water. I stood aghast, for a moment, till the fire, 
crackling beneath my feet, warned me to make my 
escape. — A negro provided me with a life-preserver 
and hastily told me how to help myself in the 
water. He also placed a strong rope in my hand, 
by means of which I could reach a life-boat below. 
I succeeded, as did also the Sister of Charity and 
the two young girls with us. Our boat was, how- 
ever, so near the burning steamer, that we were, 
by no means, secure. The raging flames threatened 
to devour us at every moment. I had no longer a 
thought for this world. Eecommending myself and 
all the dear Sisters to the mercy of God, I awaited 
my death. But God in his inscrutable providence, 
had ordained otherwise. I was spared, reaching 
land in safety. The rescued passengers numbered 
about 160, whereas there had been nearly 500 on 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 173 

board. From this you see many lost their lives, 
among whom, alas! our good Eev. Father appears 
to be included. N'otwithstanding all my efforts, I 
could, up to this time, find no trace of him, — 
neither among the living and wounded, nor among 
the dead. It was his nameday, just between five 
and six o'clock, when the Sisters were surely offer- 
ing their prayers and Holy Communion for him. 

Let us continue to pray, dear Sisters, and have 
prayers said for him. The prayer of innocent 
children is powerful with God. Bequest prayers 
also of the Eev. clergy, of all our friends and well- 
wishers. This is a heavy visitation from God, 
showing us how closely we must cling together, 
especially now, as the Order has lost a strong 
support. In prayer alone, — in faithful attachment, 
in deep humility, we shall besiege Heaven and 
obtain assistance. You will have three Holy 
Masses said, through grateful love for our Eev. 
Father, and offer all your Holy Communions and 
prayers, during a month, for the repose of his soul. 
It was very humiliating for me that the pious 
priest lost his life, and I was saved. God has 
shown me mercy. Eeturn thanks with me. May 
His name be praised ! I shall probably be obliged 
to remain in the Motherhouse for a long time, feel- 
ing assured that you will be faithful and pray for 
me. In this thought alone, I find consolation in my 
present affliction. God help us, and Mary pro- 
tect us I " 

Our departed Mother often recurred to this 
catastrophe, and always — even after the lapse of 
thirty years — with deepest emotion. — She was 



174 MOTHER CAEOLINE. 

brought, with all the rescued, to Cairo, 111., and 
thence to Milwaukee, at the expense of the steam- 
boat company. Before the Civil War, the South 
was prosperous and wealthy. Kind ladies offered 
her all that might afford her relief and comfort — 
among the rest, quite a donation of gold coin. She 
only accepted a part, which she appropriated for 
Holy Masses, especially for the repose of the 
unfortunate Father Urbanek. 

Uncertain reports of the terrible disaster 
reached the Motherhouse. A telegram, published 
in the newspaper, ran thus: ^ ^Sister Mary Ellen 
and Sister M. Caroline saved." 

Sister Chrysologa, a candidate at the time, thus 
describes the ensuing scene: ^ ^ A priest called at the 
convent (Dr. Salzmann, I think) and inquired 
whether the Sisters had read the notice in the 
paper, himself having obtained no certain informa- 
tion. As the Sisters took no paper, I was sent to 
Mr. Hoeger to get one. I ran, — I scarcely know 
how, just as I was, in my calico dress, the Sisters 
anxiously awaiting my return. The report was 
correct; Sister Caroline was our Mother. But 
where was our Eev. Father! At first, we were 
stricken with mute sorrow — a painful, anxious 
suspense. All repaired to the chapel, to recite the 
Eosary. The Sisters were in the gallery, — the 
candidates and boarding pupils below. At first, 
we prayed loud and fervently, till some one in the 
gallery called out: ^^O Lord, grant him eternal 
rest." Weeping and sobbing were the response. 
Two priests, who had also hastened to the convent 
chapel, left at once, — it was too painful to witness 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 175 

the scene. After the Eosary^ we endeavored to 
console one another ; for we still cherished hopes 
for our Father. ^^He must be among the rescued' '^ 
we concluded, ^^or some news of his fate would 
reach us." In this suspense, a few days passed, 
when, unexpectedly, our dear Mother arrived 
— but alone. I^ow our tears flowed anew, but 
thanks be to God, we, at least, had our dear 
Mother, the very picture of a Mater Dolorosa. 
Exhausted and nervous, she was obliged to seek 
repose at once. A week elapsed before the 
candidates were allowed to see her. The Sisters 
having led her down to the yard and seated her in 
an arm-chair, we approached to greet her, one by 
one, and, with trembling hand, she gave us Father 
Urbanek's particle of the Holy Cross, to kiss, 
looking upon each of us with loving tenderness. 

Several weeks passed before Eev. Mother was 
able to be about the house without assistance. By 
this time, quite a number of candidates were home 
from the missions, looking forward to their Eecep- 
tion. Our good Mother was importuned for the 
holy habit ; but, with sorrowful heart, she would 
answer: ^'O dear children, we have no Spiritual 
Father." 

This disaster was also rendered memorable to 
Mother Caroline, as it brought her community an 
increase of three members ; Sister M. Antonia, at 
present superioress of St. Francis' School, Milwau- 
kee, and her two sisters, M. A. de Padua and 
M. Antonilla. Thoughtful as she ever was, even 
in little things, she gave the three sisters these 
names, in order to perpetuate the memory of the 
never-to-be forgotten Father Antony Urbanek. At 



176 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

the writer's request, Sister Antonia sent him a 
very interesting account of the catastrophe, which 
she Avitnessed at the age of eleven. The following 
passages give us some idea of our Mother's noble 
bearing at the time, and the maternal solicitude 
she ever afterwards extended the three children, 
that lost their parents, an only brother and a 
sister on that woful occasion. ^^As we had 
attended the Sisters' school in I^ew Orleans," 
writes Sister Antonia, ^^our deceased mother 
brought us to the convent, previous to our depart- 
ure for St. Louis, to thank our teachers and bid 
them adieu. Mother Caroline entered the recep- 
tion room, at the time, and when we were informed 
she would travel in the same steamer with us, our 
leave-taking was rendered less painful. She 
cheered our hearts by telling us we would also find 

Sisters at St. Louis. On the morning of the 

great calamity, I perceived our dear Eev. Mother 
standing by my poor brother^ fourteen years of age, 
who was scalded froin head to foot. She was fanning 
the pitiable sufferer, and trying to console us, 
while she herself was a picture of sorrow. As he 
writhed in his agony and called for his parents, in 
vain, our distressed Mother prayed aloud and 
sighed to Heaven for his relief." — Farther on, 
Sister Antonia continues to relate that she and her 
two sisters were brought to Memj)his, and the 
childless captain of the steamer offered to adopt 
the three as his children. They soon returned to 
New Orleans, however, where they were taken to 
the orphan asylum of the Sisters. Mother Caroline 
always extended them her maternal love, and, in 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 177 

the course of years, when the three had become 
members of our Order, she promised Sister Antonia 
that, on taking the final vows, they should have a 
reunion in the Motherhouse. When, at length, 
Antonilla, the youngest, had reached the required 
age, our dear Mother wrote to Sr. Antonia that her 
wish was now fulfilled, and with gratitude, joyous 
yet mournful, the three professed religious and 
their spiritual Mother celebrated the eventful day 
that was to crown the rescue of 1858. 

Mother Caroline always attributed her preserva- 
tion to a particle of the holy Cross which she had 
with her. Father TJrbanek had received it from 
Bishop Timon of Buffalo, N. Y. Though highly 
he prized it, he presented it to Mother Caroline 
one day, quite unexpectedly, telling her he was not 
in need of it, but it would be of great service to her 
and protect her from danger. Some years ago 
Mother Caroline presented this relic to our Insti- 
tute chapel at Prairie du Chien, because, of all the 
chapels belonging to our congregation, this is 
nearest to the Mississippi. She expressed her hope 
to the writer that the Sisters would derive great 
benefit from the devout .veneration of this holy 
particle. Truly, the Sisters at Prairie du Chien 
will ever cherish this pious wish of their departed 
Mother! 

The following extract from a letter to her uncle, 
Sept. 8th, 1858, scarcely three months after the dis- 
aster, manifests the sublime sentiments with which 
Mother Caroline bore the greatest sorrow of her 
life, and her noble resolve to render it profitable to 
herself and others : — 



178 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

^^Many prayers must have been said for me, as 
the Lord has vouchsafed to visit me with afflic- 
tions, and granted me the grace to bear them with 
courage and resignation. Although my poor heart 
is oppressed with sorrows and anxieties, I am, 
nevertheless, in the true sense of the word, in the 
best of spirits, bearing in mind the great sufferings 
of my thorn-crowned Jesus and His sorrowful 
Mother. How light and insignificant are my suffer- 
ings in comparison with theirs ! And how much is 
still wanting in my resemblance to the Divine 
Spouse, dyed in His precious Blood for me ! Oh ! this 
ungrateful heart of mine must be purified in the 
crucible of sufferings, and drawn to the Sacred 
Heart of Him that bled upon the Cross for me. 
Truly, one must feel happy in embracing the Cross, 
although weak human nature weeps and groans. 
Continue, therefore, to pray for me, dear Uncle, 
that, with iDatient endurance, I may never lay aside 
the scarlet robe of sufferings, but wear it with joy- 
ous, holy pride, as a true religious and spouse of 
the Crucified, thus to advance on the way of per- 
fection. Then, perhaps, I too may hope for a 
crown of martyrdom in my holy vocation — such as 
Divine Providence has awarded our sainted Father 
Urbanek. This pious, noble priest was surely 
prepared for death. How remarkable! just on his 
nameday, the feast of St. Antony, at six A. M. — 
the very hour in which, for eight years, he had given 
the Sisters Holy Communion, he was called to his 
eternal home, without the Holy Sacraments or any 
immediate preparation. Up to this date, we have 
not been able to ascertain anything about our EeVo 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 179 

Father. At the time of the explosion, his state- 
room was blown up with him and, most probably, 
he was torn to pieces, which sank in the water. 
Truly, a life-long affliction for me; but God so 
willed it. We have sustained a heavy, very heavy 
loss, in this man of God. O dear Uncle, pray very 
fervently that God may send us a worthy successor ! 
My own preservation was really wonderful. My 
state-room was next to his. Had one more blown up, 
I would no longer be among the living. I had a 
particle of the Holy Cross with me, which Father 
Urbanek gave me, saying: 'You have need of it, 
not I.' 

Willingly, would I have undergone twice as 
much, if only this good priest had not lost his life. 
In vain, I sought him among the living and the 
dead. My sorrow was heart-rending. The agony 
I endured when threatened by two raging elements 
— fire and water, was soothed and sweetened by 
the thought of obedience. I remained perfectly calm 
and conscious. It is sweet to live and to suffer in 
obedience. May the experience I have had never 
vanish from my memory, so that I may always 
bear this sweet yoke conscientiously. Yes, the 
sufferings I have endured, have taught me many a 
lesson, that I have promised our Lord to apply to 
my own i)oor soul, as well as to those of others. 
Truly, all is for the best, that our Lord sends us ! 
Our good Father Urbanek has run his race and 
gained Heaven. I have obtained new light and 
courage to persevere in the combat. — As regards 
my health, I am happy to say it is pretty good, but 
enfeebled, especially my nerves, which sustained a 
severe shock.'' ' 



180 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

Although the circular, written but four days 
after the catastrophe, as also the letter to her 
uncle, just quoted, give evidence that her mind 
was clear and active, tranquil and resigned, her 
nervous system was terribly shattered. For 
almost three years, she never enjoyed a night's 
rest. As soon as she fell asleep from sheer 
exhaustion, the scene of terror again forced itself 
upon her excited imagination. The conflagration, 
the groans of the wounded and shrieks of distress, 
the swaying of the burning ship, her painful search 
for the missing Father Urbanek, the sight of the 
mangled, crisped and scalded corpses, — all the 
horrors of that calamitous day, kept her in dread- 
ful excitement. Her greatest torment was the ever 
returning sensation of falling into the Mississippi. 
In her feverish anxiety, she tried to hold fast to 
one thing or another, but only to find herself 
deceived, waking up from her fright. Truly, nights 
of torture like those of her last illness. Finally, a 
thought suggested itself, which she could only 
regard as an inspiration from above. Before trying 
to fall asleep, she held fast to her bed-curtain, in 
order to steady herself when the sensation of the 
swaying steamer would again trouble her sleep. 
It really proved a successful means, for which our 
poor, tormented Mother was grateful as a child. 
Even when awake, her nerves were greatly 
excited. She had become subject to a certain form 
of clair-voyance. It often happened that she fore- 
saw visits altogether unexpected, and eve^i sent 
Sisters to the door, to receive such and such callers, 
of whose coming she had had no intimation what- 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 181 

ever. At times she would chide Sisters for 
certain faults which no one had reported^ and the 
knowledge of which she could not have obtained in 
any ordinary way. 

"With astonishment and a mysterious feeling of 
awe, the Sisters would often exclaim: ^^Buthow 
can Mother know all this '^^ In spite of this terrible 
state of nervousness, her strong spirit triumphed 
over her sorely stricken body. Eeason and faith 
held imagination and feelings in due subordination. 

In these severe trials. Mother Caroline found 
the most consoling sympathy. Such men as, 
Bishop Henni, Eector Heiss, Dr. Salzmann, Father 
La Lumiere, S. J. counseled and assisted her. In 
1859 she obtained a worthy and able successor to 
Father Urbanek, in the person of Eev. F. X. 
Krautbauer. — The zeal and fidelity of the Sisters, 
* to whom their Mother had become still dearer, on 
account of her rescue from immediate danger of 
death, had a tranquilizing and beneficial effect 
upon the impaired state of her health. During the 
three years of her nervous debility, from 1858 to 
1861, she established branch-houses in twelve 
different places: — Elm Grove, "Wis.; Sheboygan, 
Wis.; St. Louis, Mo. (St. Peter and Paul's Congre- 
gation); Belleville, 111.; Washington, Mo.; Quincy, 
111.; Louisville, Ky.; Fort Madison, la.; Burling- 
ton, Wis.; St. Charles, Mo.; Teutopolis, 111.; and 
Chicago, 111. (St. Peter's Congregation). These 
undertakings demanded much of her time and care, 
as also many a wearisome journey. A more faint- 
hearted person would have shrunk from again 
venturing upon the dreaded Mississippi^ as she 



182 MOTHER CAEOLINE. 

was obliged to do on some of these trips Mother 
Caroline knew not fear — least of all, superstitious 
fear. — The opening of a mission at La Crosse in 
1859 may serve to give our readers some idea of 
the hardships attending the establishment of these 
branch-houseSj and the courage with which 
Mother Caroline proceeded, in spite of every 
difficulty. This mission, she very unselfishly gave 
over to the Franciscan Sisters in 1870, when it 
became desirable for them to have a parochial 
school at La Crosse. — Sister Josei3hine, who took 
part in the opening, when a candidate, sent the 
narrator an account, from which the following 
extract is taken: ^'Mother Caroline was so poor 
that the Eev. Pastor had to pay our traveling 
expenses. In the hurry of our preparations, we 
set out on our journey without supi)er and took no 
eatables with us. It was four o'clock, A. M., on a 
short winter day, when we arrived at La Crosse, — 
still dark night, very cold, the frozen earth slippery 
with ice and 'snow. We had to take a hack. 
Through the driver's heedlessness, the wheels of our 
vehicle were caught in those of another passing 
by, and we were on the point of encountering a sad 
mishap. The driver scolded and cursed in a 
shocking manner. Mother Caroline told us to 
make acts of praise and adoration to the most 
holy Name in reparation for these blasphemies. 
On reaching our mission - house, we found it 
cold and cheerless, — even destitute of the neces- 
saries of life. Mother Caroline lent a helping 
hand in carrying furniture, making up beds etc. 
When I remonstrated, thinking it unbecoming for 



MOTHER CAROLINE, 183 

her, as Mother Superior, to render such service, 
she only joked about it, and cheered us with 
amusing anecdotes. '' 

In later years, too, between 1870 and 1880, our 
courageous and energetic Mother undertook many 
journeys attended with hardships and dangers. 
She had no choice of weather or season, but 
traveled when the interests of the Order required 
it. In the northern parts of Wisconsin, especially, 
she endured the greatest fatigues and hardships, 
when founding missions in the newly established 
diocese of Green Bay; such as, De Pere (1870), 
Kewaunee (1872), Oconto (1874). On her visits 
to each of these places, she was exposed to imme- 
diate danger of death. At Oconto she was over- 
taken by a violent hail-storm, without any shelter, 
and was so exhausted on reaching the Sisters' 
house, that she exclaimed: ^^This time I barely 
escaped death.'' 

On her first journey to Canada (1871), to take 
charge of an orphanage and open the way for eight 
flourishing missions, the freight-car of the train on 
which she traveled caught fire, not without danger 
for herself and all other passengers. 

In 1877, when founding a mission at Caledonia, 
Minn., her life was again exposed to greatest 
danger on the Eoot Eiver. An open ferry-boat was 
to take her across, in a farmer's wagon. The 
horses, terrified at the sight of the swollen, turbu- 
lent waters, became more and more unmanageable, 
as the ferry approached the opposite bank, and 
threatened to upset her into the river. It was only 
through the timely aid of several strong men, who 



184 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

rushed to her rescue from a brewery near by, that 
she was saved from a watery grave. — In looking 
back upon the numerous evident dangers that beset 
Mother Caroline's life from her earliest childhood, 
the thought forces itself upon us that it was the 
evil spirit himself who sought to destroy her 
precious life. The more fervent, therefore, is our 
thanksgiving to the holy angels who protected and 
saved her. 



CHAPTEE IX. 



Mother Caroline in Her Relation to the Bishops and 
Priests of Our Country. 

As Mother Caroline, in course of time, had her 
Sisters laboring in twenty-nine arch-dioceses and 
dioceses of our country, she stood in official and 
personal relation to a great many bishops and 
priests. During the forty and more years of her 
administration, she became personally acquainted 
with most of the bishops in our country. With 
grateful pleasure she often spoke of the kind and 
friendly attention shown her by those venerable 
prelates. She was especially grateful for any recog- 
nition of the Sisters' services, encouragement or 
aid extended them. It was her great concern to 
have the Sisters give satisfaction to the ordinaries 
in whose dioceses they were engaged. 

And this was not merely the case in the begin- 
ning, when she was in need of external help, but 
ever afterwards, too, when the material wants of 
her community were no longer a subject of anxiety, 
and applications for Sisters became so numerous. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 185 

that she was obliged to decline many an offer of 
schools and missions. Ever gnided by reason and 
faith, she was simply incapable of any low and 
mercenary sentiments. She appreciated the cares 
and labors of the Et. Eev. Bishops in the canse of 
Christian edncation, — the sacrifices they were 
obliged to make, in order to meet their responsi- 
bility for the proper training of youth. She well 
knew how great was the consolation afforded them, 
when their efforts were crowned with success. — 
Hence her eager inquiry, on meeting with bishops : 
^^Are you satisfied with my Sisters? Do they give 
you no cause for displeasure?'' Every bishop 
could have the assurance, in case he had any com- 
plaint to make or wish to express, that the loyal 
superioress would give the matter full attention. 
Great, therefore, was the confidence that bishops 
generally placed in Mother Caroline. When difficul- 
ties arose, they would say : ^^We will leave that to 
Mother Caroline. Let us write to her, or await her 
visitation. She is a reliable woman of sound 
jugdment. She will settle the matter satisfac- 
torily." Scarcely ever did a bishop come to Mil- 
waukee without honoring Mother Caroline with a 
visit, even though he had no business to transact 
with her. All found pleasure in conversing 
with the noble-minded and highly cultured relig- 
ious. Not unfrequently they expressed their 
esteem and grateful acknowledgment of services 
rendered them by the Sisters, in a manner which 
might have filled a less solid and sensible person 
with pride and self-conceit. Once on accompany- 
ing an aged bishop to the convent-door, she knelt 



186 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

to receive his blessing. ^^O Mother Caroline!'' 
exclaimed the venerable prelate, ^'you ought to 
give me your blessing' ' , at which she and the narra- 
tor, who happened to be present, could but heartily 
laugh. 

"With all her deep esteem for bishops, she was 
not, however, timid and cowardly. Indeed, she was 
free from human respect in an uncommon degree. 
If ever a bishop demanded an3i;hing, even with the 
best intention, which was incompatible with her 
principles regarding the object of her congregation, 
its rule and constitutions, she would rather with- 
draw her Sisters than yield. The bishop of a 
flourishing diocese was very anxious to obtain 
Sisters. As he, however, insisted on having them 
teach English only, in his German parochial 
schools, she would not consent, but withheld her 
Sisters. On another occasion a bishop took the 
part of a certain pastor who would not have the 
pupils of his school attend Holy Mass on week 
days. Although it was a thriving school in a 
large city. Mother Caroline withdrew her Sisters. 

Her standing with priests was excellent, also. 
With but few exceptions, pastors who employed 
School Sisters in their parishes were really 
enthusiastic over Mother Caroline. If she noticed 
that a priest was a zealous school-man, she was 
devoted to him with all the ardor of her soul for 
the good cause. When misunderstandings arose 
between pastors and Sisters, she was ever anxious 
to mediate and reconcile. She possessed the gift of 
discernment in a high degree, carefully considering 
what was essential or indifferent, really wrong and 



MOTHER CAROLIIS^E. 187 

unjust, or merely somewhat hard and indiscreet; 
what admitted of improvement or could not be 
changed ; what was evidently inconsistent with the 
Sisters' rules and vocation, or merely annoying 
and disagreeable to them. In all that did not 
violate a correct principle or involve a danger, she 
was willing to make concessions. When she con- 
sidered it her duty, however, she would openly and 
fearlessly remonstrate with priests, or remove her 
Sisters. She spared no pains in admonishing the 
Sisters to work in harmony with pastors ; to 
respect their authority over schools ; not to meddle 
when there were any disagreements between a pastor 
and his congregation ; cheerfully to render any 
service in school and church that a pastor might 
reasonably expect, without counting everything too 
minutely, on the dollar and cent scale, — in a word, 
to live and labor for the interests of school and 
Church. She knew very well that our priests are 
most generally overburdened with cares and labors, 
wherefore, the Sisters should support their endeav- 
ors and lend them assistance. She was also aware 
that, in consequence of the difference in their educa- 
tion and early experience, pastors must have 
different views and demands in regard to school, 
divine service, trimming of altars, etc. She would, 
accordingly, instruct^ her Sisters in words few and 
brief: ^'You have simply to do what your pastor 
requires. He is your present superior, and not 
the former pastor who gave you different direc- 
tions.'' Her generosity toward poorer and smaller 
congregations won for herself and Sisters the grati- 
tude of the Eev. Pastors, which they openly 



188 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

acknowledged. If she knew that a congregation 
was in straitened circumstances, she would ask but 
a very small salary for her Sisters. She was ever 
ready, at the Sisters' request, to furnish things 
wanting in a poor church, at a very low rate, or to 
give them as a present. Hundreds of priests revere 
Mother Caroline as a noble benefactress of their 
congregations. — There were two points, however, 
on which she showed herself unyielding toward 
Eev. Pastors : 1st, she would not allow her Sisters 
to take charge of mixed church-choirs, no matter 
how much a priest might insist upon it. She would 
not do so, even though she had to refuse a mission 
offered her, or to give up one of which the Sisters 
already had charge. 2nd, she maintained her 
liberty and independence in regard to transferring 
Sisters, even during the scholastic year. If she 
deemed it necessary to remove a Sister from a 
mission, or to make any change, she did so with- 
out human respect. In all such cases, she acted 
only upon well founded reasons, with great pre- 
caution, but firmness, not heeding the momentary 
displeasure of the Eev. Pastors. This, of course, 
gave rise to little storms occasionally; but, in 
nearly every case, it soon became manifest that the 
change was not made through caprice or love of 
domineering, but for the benefit of all concerned. 
By the frankness of her manners and the purity of 
her intentions, she most generally succeeded in satis- 
fying all parties, as they were afterwards them- 
selves obliged to acknowledge. 



MOTHER OABOLINE. 189 

CHAPTEE X. 
Mother Caroline as Snperioress and Mother. 

The writer was often amused, during the past 
ten years, when Mother Caroline, ever and anon, 
expressed her wish to resign her office, that she 
might, at last, think of caring for herself and pre- 
paring for a happy death. He was too deeply con- 
vinced that the zealous and faithful discharge of 
her official duties was her best preparation for 
death, being that which God required of her. 
Especially during her last term, as commissary 
general, she repeatedly expressed her pleasure at 
the thought of her approaching release from the 
burden of her office. In this she was as ui)right 
and sincere as she ever was in all things. Accord- 
ing to the amendments of the School Sisters' Con- 
stitutions, in 1880, Mother Caroline could not have 
been elected for another term of six years, after 
1893 ; but the Sisters had often expressed their 
ardent desire to have the ecclesiastical authorities 
apply to the Holy See, to confirm Mother Caroline 
in her office for life. This desire was not merely 
prompted by the Sisters' grateful love and devoted- 
ness to their revered Mother; for they had the 
clearest conviction that she could be naught but 
their Superior, no matter how strong her desire to 
resign her office. Mother Caroline was, naturally, 
a superior — not merely by virtue of her office. She 
was made of the proi)er material, as we familiarly 
say, for a superior of the highest rank. Her tall, 
stately figure, and intellectual countenance, — her 
dark, beaming eyes, — her powerful voice, 



190 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

descending as easily to deepest bass as it rose to 
clearest tenor^ — her graceful, dignified bearing, — 
all betokened an extraordinary personage. 

Her mental endowments were in full harmony 
with her iini30sing appearance. Her enlightened 
mind and correct judgment, — the gift of exj)ressing 
herself briefly and to the point, — her energetic will 
and enterprising spirit, combined with great business 
tact, — all these were excellent qualifications for one 
in her position. Her thorough schooling and 
pedagogical training admirably fitted her for the 
education of others. With all these natural gifts, 
she combined genuine, solid piety. The cardinal 
virtues pervaded her whole being. Not to speak, 
in detail, of her generally acknowledged prudence 
and justice, — her fortitude and temperance were 
really wonderful. Mother Caroline was a ^^Mulier 
fortis"— valiant woman. Difficulties only served to 
steel her courage. Notwithstanding her tenderness 
of heart, she was a fearless soul. It really seemed 
imx)ossible to disturb her composure, to dishearten 
or intimidate her. No matter what happened, she 
never lost presence of mind. On one occasion a 
clergyman of high standing went too far in his 
demands and sought to gain his point by saying in 
a tone of excitement : ^^Don't you know that I am 

Father V^ ^^And don't you know that I am 

Mother Caroline!'' was her calm rejoinder. With 
all her self - possession, she was free from 
bravado, a perfect lady in delicacy of feeling and 
culture of manners. — In sufferings and trials, she 
evinced, above all, her Christian fortitude. The 
grandest proof of this virtue, was her cheerful, 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 191 

patient resignation during the long, weary months 
of her last illness, of which we shall treat in a 
separate chapter. For sixteen years, the narrator 
had occasion closely to study her interesting, 
great-souled character, and many were the touching 
proofs she gave of her wonderful fortitude. If she 
met with a grievous affliction, or received some sad 
intelligence, then, one might almost say, the child in 
the grave-yard of Donauwoerth was again upon the 
scene. (See page 28). She was sorrow- stricken, stu- 
pefied — speechless, — her dark eyes staring vaguely 
into the distance, until a flood of tears and a sharp 
cry of pain relieved her. As soon as possible, 
she repaired to the chapel and sent Sisters 
thither, to pray to the Divine Comforter in the Most 
Holy Sacrament. Then followed a communication 
to her Sisters — an earnest request of prayer — and 
the tranquillity of her soul was restored. Lamen- 
tations never escaped her lips, much less com- 
plaints and murmurs. Having given her feelings 
their first irresistible expression, she buried her 
sorrow in her heart, strong in faithful submission 
to Divine Providence and intimate union with her 
Heavenly Spouse. Those who were but slightly 
acquainted with the cheerful, noble-minded Supe- 
rioress, could not have suspected the flood of 
sorrows that often stirred her soul to its very 
depths. With deepest sympathy and — the writer 
hesitates not to add — real veneration, he would 
often observe how the departed was especially 
cheerful just at times of her greatest interior suffer- 
ings. l!s'aught but her solicitations for prayer and 
a memento at Holy Mass, could betray to friends 



192 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

and visitors the weight of interior afflictions con- 
cealed beneath her lively, cheerful exterior. 

Her moderation and self-control are so much the 
more deserving of notice as she was naturally of a 
very ardent temperament. In the school of her 
uncle and, still more so, in our Lord's own school 
of suffering, she had learned to control herself. If, 
now and then, the old fire suddenly began to break 
out, it was quenched just as speedily, because her 
mind, purified from every passion, gave it no fuel. 

But that which pre-eminently made Mother Caro- 
line an excellent superior of a religious community, 
was her great love for her subjects. She was more 
than a sui^erior — she was a mother in the most 
beautiful sense of the word. Her soul was full of 
tender compassion. Had it not been controlled by 
her clear understanding, — had not her reason been 
guided by faith, in the light of which she sought 
the true welfare of her Sisters, her warm affection 
would have degenerated into blind maternal love. 
Eeason and faith alone could keep her natural 
desire of giving others pleasure and sparing them 
pain, within proper bounds. As she constantly 
strove to subject her feelings and inclinations to 
reason and faith, her great heart, with its inex- 
haustible love, became for thousands a source of 
blessings, exerting an influence over the hearts of 
her subjects which scarcely any of them could 
resist, had they even tried to do so. Mother Caro- 
line really had a fascinating power over her 
Sisters, attracting them like a magnet. Indeed, 
she often felt uneasy in this regard, and repeatedly 
expressed her fear that the Sisters were too much 



MOTHER CAROLINE . 193 

attached to her. ^^For love of me,^^ she was wont 
to say, ^^they will do anything. Oh! would they 
do all for the love of God!'^ These apprehensions 
resulted in much good, as she sought, on every 
occasion, to impress her Sisters with the necessity 
of doing all things with a pure intention, faithfully 
discharging their duties for God's sake — through 
love of Jesus, their Divine Spouse. 

Mother Caroline loved her Sisters all ; she had 
no favorites — no pets. Sisters in office, especially 
her assistants in the commissariat, enjoyed her full 
confidence; but never was there a sign of such 
intimacy as might have had the appearance of dis- 
regard for others. Her solicitude for the welfare of 
the Sisters extended to all their wants, spiritual 
and coriDoral. Notwithstanding her love of sim- 
plicity and poverty, she generously provided for 
their comfort. In regard to their dwelling, board 
and clothing, her chief consideration was their state 
of health. Strictly adhering to the spirit of Holy 
Eule, she scrupled not to depart from the letter 
and introduce such modifications as the difference 
of climate and general mode of living in this 
country require. Nor did she fear the censure of 
laxity. It was highly amusing to hear her relate 
how comx3laints had been lodged against her, in 
certain quarters, that she was too much concerned 
about the health of her Sisters, allowing them, in 
many cases, longer sleep and better food than the 
Eule warrants. Mother Caroline was, withal, a 
declared enemy of unnecessary exceptions. 

But it was, above all, in promoting the spiritual 
welfare of her numerous religious family, that her 



194 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

true maternal love manifested Itself in a shining 
light. She clearly understood that religious who 
devote themselves to the work of education, neces- 
sarily bringing them in contact with seculars, are 
exposed to the danger of becoming superficial and 
tepid in the discharge of their spiritual duties. 
She was very anxious, therefore, to have her 
Sisters annually make a good spiritual retreat ; for 
she considered it the most effectual means she 
could offer them for renewing themselves in spirit. 
As far as possible, she always sought to engage 
the ablest regulars to conduct these holy exercises. 
She prayed most fervently, had devotions held and 
Holy Masses said for the success of the retreat. 
The principal one held in the MotheThouse, was 
her special concern, and, while it lasted, scarcely 
any person had access to her, except those in 
retreat, to whom she devoted every leisure moment. 
How earnestly she endeavored to impress her 
Sisters with the necessity of daily mental iDrayer, is 
evident from a letter addressed to a local Superior 
in 1883. ^^May St. Joseph obtain the grace of 
mental prayer for us. Our deficiency in this 
regard is very deplorable, for inconstancy in our 
good resolves is the sad consequence. We hear the 
maxims of our Lord and His holy Gospel, but we 
do not consider them and take them to heart ; in 
short, we make our meditations superficially, with 
many distractions. The evil effects are manifest to 
such a degree, that there is no spirit, nor efiicacy 
in our work, — no meekness nor humility. — You 
can be of great service to those intrusted to your 
care, by earnestly admonishing them to make 
their meditations well.'' 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 195 

As numbers were great at the annual Eeceptions 
and Professions, it might have appeared as though 
the Milwaukee Motherhouse were a sort of sister- 
manufactory, in which Mother Caroline let young 
girls slip into the habit, or even into the 
ranks of the professed by wholesale. But such 
was not the case. Notwithstanding their great 
numbers, all the candidates and novices had to 
undergo a long j)robation before they reached their 
aim.' Within the past sixteen years, the writer 
knows of only three cases in which a candidate 
received the holy habit before completing the year 
of her candidature. Among the novices, too, there 
were but three, in this same long period, who were 
admitted to their vows after one year's probation. 
Mother Caroline proceeded with discretion in such 
matters, often prolonging the term of probation for 
these young persons more than the writer himself 
deemed necessary. When the time for a Eeception 
or Profession drew near, her whole deportment 
gave evidence of the great imiiortance she attached 
to these solemnities. She then lived entirely with 
and for those whose temporal and eternal welfare 
dei3ended, in a great measure, upon the holy and 
important act for which her maternal solicitude 
expended all her strength of mind and body, to 
prepare them worthily. Her touching instructions 
and admonitions, her prayers and tears, the deep 
interest she took in each and every one, — all mani- 
fested the tender love with which her warm heart 
embraced her spiritual children. A touching scene 
it always was, when the dear departed accepted the 
vows of the young Sisters at the foot of Mary's 



196 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

altar. Every feature of her countenance betrayed 
her emotion; her dark eyes beamed with a soft 
light ; her dignified manners inspired all with 
reverence. As she arose, at the conclusion of this 
solemn act, with tearful emotion and tremulous 
voice, to promise her Sisters eternal life, if they 
would faithfully observe their vows, all present 
were deeply impressed with the manifest fervor of 
her inmost being. 

In her exhortations, she always urged the neces- 
sity of living by faith — being actuated in all things 
by motives of faith. What she deplored most, 
among the evils of our times, was the lack of this 
practical faith, with its supernatural tendency 
towards God in all the events of life — an evil which 
must be attributed to the sad want of solid Chris- 
tian training in the home- circle. When talented 
young girls entered the convent, actuated by noble 
sentiments, indeed, but chiefly drawn by a natural 
predilection for this state of life, it was her first 
concern to have them exercised in doing all things 
with a good and pure intention, zealously and 
faithfully, for the love of God, in the spirit of self- 
sacrifice and devotion to Jesus crucified, walking 
in the presence of God and in His holy fear, — teach- 
ing them, in short, to give their natural inclina- 
tions and virtues a higher, supernatural tendency. 
Concerning the Sisters, Mother Caroline could only 
be satisfied when she had reason to hope that they 
were conscientious and zealous in the service of 
God. Ko matter how brilliant their talents, how 
successful and honorable their labors in the offices 
assigned them, they were ever the children of her 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 197 

anxious care, as long as they did not comply with 
their spiritual duties , according to her enlightened 
views. — ^^She is a good, pious soul . . . God's 
blessing attends her, because she is prayerful and 
humble;" — such was the praise she loved to bestow 
on Bj sister. 

In governing, Mother Caroline was a perfect 
model, She gave her orders briefly and concisely, 
with such clearness and decision, that every one 
understood, at once, what was required. As posi- 
tive as were her commands, so polite were the 
terms in which she expressed them. They were 
most generally given in the form of a request ; and 
she never failed to return thanks when they were 
fulfilled. No wonder that every Sister considered 
it an honor and a pleasure to obey such a mother. 

To meet with opposition or disobedience on the 
part of her subjects, was something exceedingly 
rare for Mother Caroline. If she noticed that 
caprice or self-will were at play, in such cases, a 
reproof like a thunder-bolt was apt to follow, 
which scarcely ever missed its aim. Now and then, 
she emx3loyed quite different means, however. She 
said nothing, ignoring the offender — as though she 
did not care for her. This pedagogical artifice 
proved the most effectual; for it was beyond 
endurance for any Sister not to have Mother look 
at her or speak to her. ^ ^Mother, I beseech you, 
box my ears, if you will, but do speak to me,'' 
said more than one Sister to whom she had had 
occasion thus to manifest her displeasure. In the 
pardon of faults, she showed a royal or, let us 
rather say, saintly magnanimity. She never bore 



198 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

offenders any ill-will ^ and recurred to their faults 
no more than was necessary to guard against 
relapses or to confirm them in their good reso- 
lutions. A matter once settled, was settled forever. 
It may truly be said she endeavored to imitate the 
superabundant mercy and forgiveness of our Divine 
Savior. 

Mother Caroline had the talent, but not the 
ambition to rule, — another characteristic mark of a 
worthy superioress. Of this she gave evidence, in 
particular, by not restricting those w^ho assisted 
her in the government of the Order. She was 
cautious in appointing local Superiors and other 
officials ; but when a Sister had received an 
appointment, our dear Mother gave her credit for 
a conscientious discharge of her duties, willing to 
make her as self-reliant as the spirit of the Order 
and uniformity in its observances allowed. The 
capricious, arbitrary idea, ^^So I want it, and, 
therefore, it must be so," was far from Mother 
Caroline. Guided, as she was, by the conscien- 
tious observance of Holy Eule, with a discreet 
regard for persons and circumstances, she expected 
the same from all the Superiors. When satisfied 
that such was the case, she exerted her authority 
no further than to give good advice and encourage- 
ment, express her satisfaction or, if need be, dis- 
approval, thus extending aid and direction to 
local Superiors. Though fearless in censuring 
what she considered wrong, she was all the more 
generous in giving credit for all that was good and 
commendable. Peevish grumbling, cutting remarks 
and sarcastic speeches were an abomination to 



MOTHER CAROLIIS'E. 199 

Mother Caroline. She always had powerful words 
at command, but they were dictated by reason and 
charity, really seeking to benefit those in fault. 
Notwithstanding her zealous labors, she was none 
of those who always wish to do everything them- 
selves, for whom no one can do anything right, 
because they consider all that does not exactly 
meet their views, unsuitable or wrong. 

Her sterling love for her Sisters, she manifested 
most beautifully in defending the accused. Her 
principle was : ^ ' Audiatur et altera pars. ' ' Give both 
parties a hearing. A Sister was allowed, in such 
cases, to communicate her views in writing or by 
word of mouth. If, hereupon. Mother was obliged 
to decide against the Sister, to subject her to some 
penalty, remove her from position, etc., she was 
positive and determined, but proceeded with so 
much consideration, that the Sister in fault was 
spared and defended as far as possible. On such 
occasions, it was really touching to hear her re- 
count the Sister's merits — especially before out- 
siders — commenting on her good qualities, — her 
fidelity in her laborious vocation etc., while, at the 
same time, she would i3rivately reprove and ad- 
monish her most impressively, seeking to make her 
sensible of her fault and anxious to amend. IsTever 
was the bruised reed broken, nor the smoking 
wick extinguished by the strong yet gentle hand 
of Mother Caroline ; on the contrary, her justice 
and firmnes, tempered with so much charity and 
prudence, succeeded in lifting up the drooping 
spirit, — inspiring the despondent with new hope 
and courage. 



200 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

Her love for the Sisters also asserted itself in the 
use she made of her memory. It is said that persons 
of keen intellect very seldom have a good memory. 
If this be true, Mother Caroline formed one of the 
rare exceptions. Her memory was really astonish- 
ing ; it seemed as if she could not forget anything. 
Its special power consisted in the lively remem- 
brance of persons and events. As she lived in and 
for the Sisters, she was like a walking dictionary 
that contained everything pertaining to her beloved 
daughters. Visitors would often exclaim with 
astonishment: ^^But how is it possible*? ]\[other 
Caroline knows every Sister by name!'' Such was 
really the case. Scarcely ever did she hee^itate in 
recalling the name of any Sister, no matter how dis- 
tant the mission on which she was stationed, or how 
long a time had elapsed since she had last seen her. 
One circumstance that greatly facilitated this 
power of memory, was her constant prayer for all 
and each of her Sisters. — Mother Caroline never 
used a prayerbook. On one occasion a mission 
superior offered her such. '^Oh! I thank you, 
dear Sister," said our Mother smiling. ^'I need no 
book. To get through the catalogue of all my 
dear Sisters, is prayer-book enough for me." This 
explains how she could so easily retain the names 
of so many hundreds of Sisters. The occurrences 
of fifty years spent in the sisterhood, first in 
Europe and, more particularly, in America were 
fresh and vivid in her memory, forming an inex- 
haustible treasury of anecdotes, from which she 
drew for the Sisters' benefit and to their exquisite 
delight. Whether anything had happened thirty. 



MOTHER CAilOLINE. 201 

forty years ago, or within as many months, it was 
as clear to her mind's eye as if it had just taken 
place. Children's tricks, incidents at school, 
comical life-sketches, characteristic expressions 
and modes of action, amusing instances of childlike 
simplicity, — anecdotes, in short, of every variety 
were related, amid smiles and tears, in rapid suc- 
cession ; but even in her most unrestrained conver- 
sation, she ever maintained the deep seriousness of 
her religious character. In calling to mind the 
sacrifices and privations of the elder Sisters, who 
faithfully stood by her amid so many difficulties 
and hardshii3s, her eyes were suffused with tears, 
and the grateful expression, ^^May God reward 
their love and fidelity!" most generally formed 
the conclusion of these precious narrations. 

Her grateful remembrance also extended to 
parents and relations of the Sisters. On her visita- 
tion journeys to branch-houses and, more especially, 
at the Eeceptions and Professions held in the 
Motherhouse, she became acquainted with hundreds 
and thousands of them. She always made arrange- 
ments that every new Novice or Sister could, in 
turn, present her visitors, which almost uuexcep- 
tionally resulted in the enthusiastic gratification 
of parents to have their daughters in the care of a 
spiritual mother, so good, noble-minded and 
enlightened. On her own part, she ever afterwards 
manifested her love and interest for the dear ones 
of her spiritual daughters by her kind inquiries, 
friendly greetings, little souvenirs that she sent 
them, with the promise of a remembrance in 
prayer, etc. Considering all this, her tender love 



202 MOTHER CAEOLIK^E. 

for the sick and infirm , the aged and invalid 
members of her commnnity, and^ more especially, 
for the dear departed, requires no mention. 

Truly, Mother Caroline, as far as possible, sought 
to become all unto all, in order to gain all for 
Christ. No Tvonder that the Sisters were devoted 
to such a mother with love the most faithful and 
enthusiastic that can be imagined. The best proof 
of this grateful love, was their zeal in the duties of 
their vocation, which, thanks be to God ! may be 
termed the characteristic mark of the School 
Sisters. The consciousness of serving under the 
direction of a general so noble and worthy, so able 
and experienced, made them a brave army cour- 
ageously facing the hardships and trials that attend 
the great work of Christian education, in the ranks 
which obedience assigned them. If ever this 
resolute, cheerfully self-sacrificing, energetic spirit 
of the School Sisters should droop and languish, at 
would be the saddest proof of their unfaithfulness 
to the memory of our revered Mother Caroline, a 
misfortune from which Almighty God forever 
preserve them! 

On every fitting occasion, the Sisters vied with 
one another to prove their love for their venerable 
Mother. The feast of St. Charles, her nameday, 
was annually an occasion of rejoicing for the whole 
Order. As it falls within the octave of All Souls, 
the celebration was confined to the convent chapel. 
Grateful for the holy Mass and general Communion 
offered for her welfare, she would accept of nothing 
more than a few words of childlike greeting and 
congratulation. In the course of the month, how- 



MOTHER CAEOLINE. 203 

ever, the several departments of the Motherhouse, 
— aspirants, candidates, novices and Sisters, had 
their respective celebrations, in which congratula- 
tory recitations and tasteful artistic designs were 
only surpassed by the sincerity of their filial 
love and devotion. From branch-houses, letters of 
congratulations arrived by the hundreds. Mother 
read them all, gave each full attention and left but 
few unanswered. In 1890, when the 50th anniver- 
sary of her entrance into the Order, at Xeunburg 
vorm Wald, occurred, it required all her authority 
to prevent a brilliant external celebration ; but the 
more pleasing were the jubilee exercises held in 
the happy home-circle of the Sisters. If they could 
have had any i)resentiment that their glowing 
hopes of celebrating the golden jubilee of her pro- 
fession a few years later, were to be frustrated, 
surely their love, stronger than death, would have 
prevailed over obedience, under such circum- 
stances. They found some compensation, however, 
in the privilege they enjoyed of procuring the 
magnificent monstrance in the Adoration Chapel, 
as an everlasting memorial of their Mother's 
Jubilee. Fifty gems adorn it, as so many tokens 
of their loving gratitude for the divine blessings 
dispensed, through her hands, during the fifty 
years of her convent life. Their joy in contributing 
their well-earned dollars, was so great, that Mother 
often exclaimed, ^^The Sisters' pleasure itself is 
worth the money." The love which the Sisters 
manifested towards their Mother during her ill- 
ness, is simply indescribable. A patient for whom 
more prayers were said, more tears were shed, and 



204 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

with whom more hearts were suffering, could 
scarcely be found. In their child-like attachment, 
many expressed the desire to have their beloved 
Mother interred in the Motherhouse garden, in 
order to have her precious remains in their midst; 
but, apart from the great difficulties they would 
have encountered, it appeared more proper, after all, 
to let her repose in the spot which she herself had 
selected long years before, between Mother Sera- 
phina and Sister Emmanuela, in the Sisters' own 
cemetery at Elm Grove near Milwaukee. 



CHAPTEE XI. 



Mother Caroline's Illness.— Returns from New Orleans, 

Jan. 9tli. — Receives Extreme Unction, Feb. 7tli. 

Mother Caroline Stands the Test of Sufferings. 

Omitting the chapter, ^ ^Mother Caroline's Writ- 
ings'^ — of which the author is preparing a separate 
edition for the use of the community — we pass 
over to the closing events of our revered Mother's 
life, the six long months of her illness, in which 
her grand character shone forth with surpassing 
beauty. The author's introduction to these sad, 
yet glorious chapters, Miss Eleanor C. Donnelly 
has rendered into verse, as follows : 

When sinks the Sun 'mid Alpine snows, 
Or in the ocean's azure breast, 
A mighty crimson globe, it glows. 
Transfiguring the silent west. 
With countless gems, the dark waves gleam ; 
On high, the snow-clad mountains blaze, 
And, like to fiery pillars seem, 
Illumin'd by those golden rays. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 205 

Bven the fringes of the clouds, 

The valley-mists, like jewels, shine. 

Man, wond'ring, stands with forehead bow'd, 

And speaks his joy in praise divine ! 

At last, the glorious orb of day 

Quits suddenly the gorgeous skies : 

'' 'Twill rise again !" we softly say : 

''With splendor, thrice renew' d 'twill rise !" 

So, pass'd from earth, in sunset peace. 
The blessed Mother Caroline ; 
With fever-glow of glad release. 
Her life sank in the Life divine ! 

Like ocean-billows, wide and deep, 
Her virtues shone with brilliant light ; 
Her works, like mountains, broad and steep, 
Sparkled in death with luster bright ! 

Firm-rooted on the level plain 
Of daily duties, bravely done, — 
'Mid glowing fires of fiercest pain. 
She sank below Life's horizon ! 

Such a sunset was, indeed, the happy death of 
Mother Caroline. The crimson glow of a painful 
disease illumined the evening of her life, so signally 
blessed. In this light her interior, broad and deep 
as the ocean, shone with the lustre of every virtue. 
The good works of her laborious life, towering 
mountain-high above the common level, were 
crowned ^ith the aureola of perfection in the 
fire of sufferings. 

Truly, a life like Mother Caroline's could not 
have been favored with a more beautiful close than 
that of the long and painful illness by which God 
Himself prepared her for death. Under the 
evident protection of Divine Providence, her child- 
hood was fraught with purest joys ; her youth, 



206 MOTHFR CAROLINE. 

with brightest hopes ; her after-years, with heaven- 
blest labors. Naught was wanting, but a period of 
heroic sufferings, to complete and perfect this 
meritorious life, giving it the impress of a truly 
providential career. Whoever had the mournful 
pleasure to witness her last illness, will ever look 
back with joy upon the undisturbed cheerfulness 
and truly heroic patience with which Mother Caro- 
line endured her racking pains, by day and night, 
for more than six months. At the thought of the 
great, cheerful sufferer, he will cherish the blessed 
assurance that her happy soul passed through the 
fire of tribulation to the glorious realms of eternal 
bliss. 

For several years Mother Caroline had been 
ailing. Stomach disorders in the time of her 
youth, the great privations endured for the first 
ten to fifteen years af her religious life, the hard- 
ships of her numberless travels and, above all, the 
terrible disaster of 1858, had long since undermined 
her strong constitution. But what still more 
contributed to this prostration, was a fault in her 
mode of living to which her attention was turned 
too late. She allowed herself no recreation. As 
she was often away on journeys and, as the 
different departments of the extensive Mother- 
house ever and again required her presence when 
at home, she scarcely ever took any exercise in the 
open air ; indeed, it was a rare thing to see her in 
the convent garden. Excepting the time she spent 
in the chapel and attending to matters about the 
house, or receiving visitors in the parlor, she was 
nearly always busy at her writing-desk. Besides 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 207 

her one able and faithful secretary^ she should 
have employed, at least, one more during the last 
fifteen years of her life. She was often entreated to 
take a little more rest and relaxation, but she 
trusted in her strength too much. When, at last, 
she had to acknowledge that she had over- worked 
herself, it was too late. The insidious disease that 
snatched her from our midst, had already gained 
the ascendency. Her tall and api)arently stout 
frame, the fresh color of her countenance, her 
bright black eyes, the elasticity of her whole 
deportment, — all tended to deceive even the most 
interested observer, regarding the state of her 
health. Ker self-control and, still more, her kind 
consideration for those who loved her as only the 
most affectionate children can love a mother, 
contributed not a little toward concealing her 
malady. A visitation journey in the winter of 1890 
to St. Louis and vicinity, and another to Baltimore, 
in early spring, were very hard on her. In the 
summer months of her last year, she devoted 
herself, as usual, to the preparation of novices for 
their first vows, and the young religious for their 
profession. This arduous task had always brought 
on serious exhaustion, especially in late years. 
She not only devoted her time to it, but her whole 
heart and soul ; it appeared to be a part of her 
very being. In her last year, especially, her 
exhaustion was such that she could not regain her 
strength. Throughout the entire fall she was in a 
state of suffering. When winter set in, she 
appeared to be so far restored that a journey to 
New Orleans was proposed to further her convales- 



208 MOTHEE CAEOLINE. 

cence. But Mother Caroline would not have 
consented to take a trip merely for the benefit of 
her health. Arrangements were, therefore, made 
for several postulants in the South, to receive the 
veil, and novices to take the vows, so that her 
presence was very desirable. She, accordingly, 
set out on her journey a week before Christmas. It 
soon became evident, however, that she had over- 
estimated her strength ; besides, very unfavorable 
weather, damp and chilly, set in at Kew Orleans. 
She herself felt the necessity of speedily returning 
to Milwaukee, if she expected, at all, to reach 
home once more. She was even obliged to pass by 
our dear mission of Chatawa, Miss., at which 
beautiful, healthy place she had purchased a house, 
several years before, for the accommodation of 
infirm Sisters. Great was the sorrow of her 
maternal heart at the thought of her Sisters' 
disappointment, for she knew they were anxiously 
exj)ecting her. Had she stopped there, she would, 
in all probability, have never returned to Milwau- 
kee, and hundreds of Sisters would have been 
deprived of the consolation to see their dearly 
loved Mother again. Jan. 9th, she reached the 
Motherhouse, completely exhausted, and, from 
that time forth, she never left her room, scarcely 
ever even her bed. All that medical science, 
loving care and tender nursing could do, to save 
her precious life, was lavished upon her. In regard 
to prayer and holy Masses, it is no exaggeration 
to say that ^^ violence'' was really offered to 
Heaven. From the beginning, she had only the 
one thought, ^'My time is up ; I shall die." In 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 209 

spite of so many prayers and offerings, her condi- 
tion daily grew worse; but, at the same time, it 
became more and more evident that all these 
prayers and offerings were favorably received by 
Heaven. The strongest proof, was the admirable 
— in the writer's experience — really unexampled 
tranquillity, confidence and patience with which 
she endured the pains of her sickness and prepared 
herself for a happy death. Even the physicians 
declared they had never seen a patient like her. 
^^What a pity,'' they often exclaimed, ^^we cannot 
help a patient so resigned and cheerful!" She 
feared death so little, that her very fearlessness, 
at times, made her uneasy. ^^I trust it is no 
presumi3tion," she would say, with painful agita- 
tion, ^^I cannot fear to meet my God. I always 
meant well", — No complaint fell from her lips. '^I 
am sick; I am very sick," were the words with 
which she frequently addressed the writer, as he 
drew near to her couch of pain ; but they were 
uttered in the naive tone of a sick child, without 
the least repining or discontent. She was particu- 
larly grateful that her head remained clear, her 
spirit unclouded, as also that she had the free use 
of her arms and hands. Thus the gratification of 
speaking and gesticulating with her wonted liveli- 
ness was not denied her, though her body became 
more and more unwieldy. Her visitors, — a number 
of bishops, many priests and hundreds of Sisters, 
often exclaimed: ^^Oh! she is still the same 
Mother Caroline, as lively and cheerful as ever." 
Little did they think the loved patient generally 
had to i3ay dearly for her vivacity. In her loving 



210 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

desire, above all, to alleviate the sorrow of her 
spiritual daughters, she often showed herself 
stronger than she was. Only those who were 
always with her, really knew how much she 
suffered, especially during her sleepless nights, of 
which she spent, in turn, a few hours in bed, in 
her arm-chair, and invalid - rocker. Her nurses 
were happy, when, at times they could say, 
^ ^Mother slept half an hour during the night.-' 
Whoever experienced her true maternal love for 
her Sisters, can form some idea of her deep 
affliction when they bade her adieu — a last adieu 
on earth. ^^Oh! it is so painful," she once cried 
out in a flood of tears ; ^^but it is not impatience, I 
trust, or want of resignation. I will be resigned 
to everything — everything. A child of God will I 
be; a child of God, resigned to everything". 
Intimate, constant was her interior union with 
God, her Divine Spouse and His heavenly Mother. 
Her prayers consisted of parts of the community 
exercises, which the Sifters performed with her in 
the sick-room, and more particularly, of a devout 
intercourse with God and reflection on the mysteries 
of the ecclesiastical year. Her disease developed 
with uncommon rapidity. Soon it was discovered 
that she not only had the dropsy, but a very pain- 
ful rupture, besides, and — worse than all — a can- 
cer destroying her internal parts. By Sexagesima 
Sunday, her condition had already become so serious 
that the physicians deemed it advisable to have 
the last sacraments administered. It was a touch- 
ing scene. All the Sisters that could find room in 
her apartments, were present. Kneeling at her 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 211 

prie-dieu, she first received the viaticum, then, 
reclining in her arm-chair. Extreme Unction. Her 
own tearful devotion communicated itself to all. 
Surely, none of the Sisters then present will ever 
forget the impression made by that solemn, holy 
act! In the afternoon, at the close of Vespers, the 
Eev. Pater Spiritual delivered an exhortation 
to the assembled community, in order to encour- 
age the Sisters to accept the sickness and 
death of their beloved Mother, from the hands 
of God, with faith-inspired submission and resig- 
nation to His holy will. As it then made a 
consoling impression on the Sisters, and, as it 
may even now help them to bear their bereavement 
with proper sentiments, in a manner pleasing to 
God, we insert it for their perusal: — 

Venerable Sisters: — I have summoned you 
hither to address a few words to you. Their 
import you surmise — your sick Mother. We can- 
not deceive ourselves, her condition is becoming 
more serious. From day to day we see more 
clearly what the will of God demands of us. 
According to all appearances, He will, before very- 
long, call your beloved Mother to her well- deserved, 
eternal reward. How should you, then, conduct 
yourselves, in this your painful trial, towards your 
God and towards your Mother? What are your 
principal duties in both respects^ 

Towards God, you have, above all, the duty 
of deep gratitude. More than forty years He has 
let you have Mother Caroline. Such is a rare case 
in the history of any religious order. Most other 
congregations have often lost their mother within 



212 MOTHER CAROLINE 

this same period. You have had the privilege 
to possess your good Mother so unusually long. 
True, she has become all the dearer to you for 
this very reason, and, therefore, your bereave- 
ment, too, will become the more painful; but this 
does not derogate from your debt of gratitude for 
the long and happy past. 

In relation to the future, child-like confidence in 
God and His fatherly providence is your second 
holy duty towards Himself. 

Sisters come to me with the lamentation : 
^^O Father, must we, then, indeed lose our Mother'? 
Why, we cannot be without her. What will our 
future be, when she is with us no more!'' Venera- 
ble Sisters, as the expression of your sorrow, I 
can let such words pass, yes, even honor them, 
love to hear them ; but were they to express 
distrust in God — in Divine Providence, I would be 
obliged to censure and denounce them ; in fact, 
they would fill me with indignation. Sisters, you 
may look forward to the future with confidence. 
You will not be without God's protection. And 
why nof? Because your Mother's work — her great 
task of life is, at the same time, God's work. In 
the face of death, she can say from her heart : 
^^I have meant well; I have labored for God." 
God's blessing has thus far rested upon the work 
of Mother Caroline, and will God abandon His 
work after calling His faithful laborer to Himself? 
Dear Sisters, this is simply impossible. I would 
really consider it sinful distrust in God, were 
anyone to entertain such thoughts. Certainly, you 
will never more have a Mother Caroline — a Mother 



MOTHER CAEOLINE. 213 

of such unliinited ability for her office,— but do you 
only take care not to render yourselves unworthy 
of God's blessing, then it will ever continue to rest 
upon your Mother's work. Therefore, cherish a 
child-like and firm confidence in God for the future. 

But, at the present time, under the present sad 
affliction, what is your duty towards Godi It is 
resignation to His holy will, your submission, strong in 
faith J to the decrees of God. If you consider the 
many fervent prayers and the holy Masses offered, 
during these weeks, for your dear, sick Mother, 
not only here, but in hundreds of places and from 
thousands of hearts ; if you bear in mind all that 
is done for your Mother — all, indeed, that love and 
science can invent — and you see, nevertheless, 
that her condition does not improve, then it must 
become clear to a mind imbued with faith, that the 
recovery of your suffering Mother is not the will of 
God. This you should acknowledge with a calm, 
believing spirit; and this acknowledgment must 
control and sanctify your sorrow, justified though 
it be. ^^Thy will be done, O Lord! Thou hast 
given her to us, O Lord! It is Thy will to 
take her from us. May Thy name be praised!'' 
This you must say from the depths of your sorrow- 
stricken souls. To sum up, — fervent gratitude for 
the past, child-like confidence for the future, faith- 
ful submission in the present, — ^these, dear Sisters, 
are your sacred duties towards God. Oh! fulfill 
them with fidelity! Pray for the grace to do so. 

And now your duties towards your Mother: — I 
have the assurance that each of you would willingly 
kneel down before the revered sufferer, and, clasp- 



214 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

ing her hand, make the solemn j)romise that you 
will be her true daughter — a good, faithful Sister. 
This consoling promise your Mother cannot, in her 
present weak state, receive from you personally; 
nevertheless, each and every one of you ought to 
make it from the inmost depths of her heart, in the 
presence of her God and Savior. Each of you, in 
these days of affliction, should vow unto God: ^^I 
will be a faithful Sister, a true religious according to 
our Mother's teaching, after her example and in her 
spirit.'' Mother Caroline's spirit is stamped very 
clearly and distinctly. There is nothing by halves 
— nothing confused, undecided about it. 

The principal features are : 

1st. Great zeal for the glory of God. There are 
few persons in our times and in our country who 
have labored more zealously for God's honor, His 
Kingdom— the Church of Christ, than Mother 
Caroline. The salvation and preservation of count- 
less children gained for Christ, for pur holy faith, 
the service of holy Church, — this was the great 
task of her life, in accomplishing which holy zeal 
consumed her. For herself, this God-inspired zeal 
was the source of that extraordinary, unwavering 
confidence in God which she always preserved, in 
a truly admirable manner, even in the most trying 
circumstances, and which now, in particular, so 
strongly supports her and fills her with tranquil 
confidence. This zeal of your Mother must be a 
shining model for your imitation. 

2nd. Zeal for the Order, — the Honor of the Or- 
der. — When this was conc3rned, no care, no exer- 
tion, no labor, no sacrifice was too great for her. 



MOTHER CAROLIXE. 215 

The one object of her thoughts, her wishes and 
prayers, was the interior consolidation of her 
Order and its external propagation. Both by word 
and example, she incessantly strove to train her 
Sisters in solid piety, strong faith, constancy and 
fidelity in the duties of their vocation. O Sisters, 
often promise during these days, that such Sisters 
you will be ; that you all — each in her i)osition — 
will zealously contribute towards forming such 
Sisters. True, holy zeal is ever the expression of 
great love. Love^ enthusiastic love of God, and 
generous love of neighbor always inflamed the great 
heart of your Mother. 

Mother Caroline has really the heart of a mother, 
full of interest and sympathy, goodness and mercy 
for all. Her interest in the weal and woe, the 
sorrows and joys of her Sisters, scarcely could 
have been greater. Her love of peace and 
concord, — her desire to aid her Sisters, — to 
enlighten the erring and make them more sensible 
of their faults, triumi^hed over every difficulty, at 
the cost of every sacrifice. In this spirit of your 
revered Mother, promise your God and Savior ever 
to cherish sisterly love for one another, maintaining 
peace and harmony, with true, self-sacrificing 
benevolence. 

Venerable Sisters, this is, in substance, what I 
wished to say to you. Though I speak to you with 
a deeply agitated heart, I clearly feel the conviction 
that the fulfillment of your duties towards God in 
the manner I have just proposed to you, is pre- 
cisely what God demands of you and what will 
afford your Mother the greatest joy. I wished thus 



216 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

to speak to you on this day, which has become 
ever memorable by the mournful solemnity you 
witnessed, when the last sacraments were adminis- 
tered to your loved Mother. I wished thus to 
speak to you, in this holy place, because I hope, 
with the grace of God, my words will sink more 
deeply into your susceptible hearts, and produce last- 
ing fruits, a hundred-fold. I wished thus to speak 
to you in the presence of so many beloved guests— the 
venerable representatives of the East, and mission 
superiors from far and near. These, in particular, 
I desire to console and strengthen, that, on return- 
ing to their homes, they may console and strengthen 
their sister- companions with the same sentiments. 
I need not exhort you to persevere in your 
prayers and offerings for your beloved Mother; 
but once again I admonish you to adore the will of 
God, with deep gratitude, firm confidence and 
faith-inspired resignation now and forever more.'' 



CHAPTEE XII. 

Her Illness— Continued.— Mother Caroline's Perfect Res- 
ignation to the Diyine Will, and the Sources thereof. 

More than five months were to intervene from 
the time Mother Caroline received Extreme 
Unction until she was released from her couch of 
pain by a happy death. This was a period of 
unremitting sufferings. Even the relief which 
sleep affords was denied her. Hardly ever did 
she sleep an hour at a time; many a night the 
intensity of her pain did not permit her to close 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 217 

her eyes at all. During the quiet noon-day hours, 
she wouldj at times, doze a little from sheer 
exhaustion. The water rose higher and higher. ^^I 
feel as though I were a bag of boiling water ;" or, 
''the water seems to beat against my heart with the 
force of brazen gates ; it rushes from side to side. ' ' 
In such and similar terms she would describe her 
condition. 

For several months, water oozed from four or 
five sore spots, which afforded her some relief, it 
is true, but, at the same time, caused her great 
inconvenience. I will spare the Sisters the pain 
which a detailed account of their beloved Mother's 
sufferings would renew; but never should they 
forget the truly heroic and saintly patience where- 
with she endured them. Like St. Mary Magdalene 
de Pazzi and St. Theresa, she prayed explicitly for 
an increase of suffering. Although ready and 
willing to die at any moment, she resolutely 
suppressed the wish, fearing it might proceed from 
a secret desire of being released from sufferings. 
She cherished but one wish, one desire; namely to 
have no other wish and desire than the will of God 
in all things. About the middle of May she 
appeared so near death, that the prayers for the 
dying were recited. On recovering from her swoon, 
she exclaimed, with her accustomed warmth of 
expression: ''Why did you not let me die^ I would 
have been so glad ; for I only think of being united 
with God.'' On receiving the reply, ^'We will 
keep you with us as long as possible,— will let you 
die only when it pleases God," she assented with a 
smile. Several times she expressed the fear of 



218 MOTHER CAE-OLIIS^E. 

becoming so helpless and unwieldy that her nurses 
would not have strength enough to lift her. On 
such plea, she thought her wish to die soon, would 
be justified ; but, fearing some illusion, even in this, 
she again suppressed it. 

Her most ardent, in fact, her only desire, 
was to die fully conscious, in the spirit of 
penance, perfect resignation and union with God, 
repeating the acts of Faith, Hope and Charity. 
Though fully justified in a wish so beautiful and 
edifying, she, nevertheless, carefully examined 
herself even in this regard, bowing with humble 
submission to the Divine Will. Truly, Mother 
Caroline possessed the virtue of resignation in an 
eminent degree. Let us seek the sources whence it 
proceeded. 

It is true, she was of a cheerful, hapi^y disposi- 
tion. She had also undergone many sufferings, 
corporal and spiritual, from the very beginning of 
her religious life. Her exceedingly compassionate 
heart made the sorrows and afflictions of others 
her own. Her maternal love was a fruitful source 
of maternal affliction. With St. Paul, (2. Cor. 11, 
29.) she could exclaim : ^^Who is weak, and I am 
not weak ; who is scandalized and I do not burn^' 
She rejoiced with them that rejoiced and wept with 
them that wept. Eom. 12, 15. In a word, she 
grew strong in the school of sufferings. 

Furthermore, it is also true that very few 
sufferers have enjoyed the consolation which loving 
sympathy affords, in a greate4;^measure than Mother 
Caroline. The Holy Father sent her his apostolic 
benediction ; seven Bishops and about a hundred 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 219 

priests honored her with their visits. And the 
Sisters I^-they came by hundreds, from all parts of 
the Union, once more to look upon their dying 
Mother, — ^to be edified by her heroic patience, to 
hear her last words of love and admonition, to 
receive her parting blessing. How much bitter- 
ness, alas ! was mingled with this very consolation. 
There was the last farewell to each, more painful 
than death itself ! Then, the innumerable manifes- 
tations of reverence, love and gratitude, became a 
source of great uneasiness. Frequently she ex- 
pressed the apprehension that such demonstrations 
might be prejudicial to her spirit of humility and 
penance, inspiring thoughts of pride and self-com- 
placency. ^^I have been nothing more than a weak 
instrument in the hand of God. I do not wish to 
be over-estimated by others. The Sisters make too 
much of me. All has been the work of God's 
mercy.'' More than once she was at the point of 
prohibiting all further visits. As they evidently 
did her no injury, however, and greatly benefited 
the Sisters, she was not allowed to take the 
intended measures. On the contrary, arrange- 
ments were made, which enabled the elder Sisters, 
at least, to gratify their heart's desire. 

The sources of our Mother's fortitude and resig- 
nation were of a higher, supernatural order. She 
knew that she was patient ; she declared it openly, 
not by way of boasting, but in order to give thanks 
to God. ^^It is not human," she frequently 
remarked, ^^it is a special mercy of God, the fruit 
of prayer and the Holy Sacrifice." But it was not 
the prayer of others alone ; it was owing, in a great 



220 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

measure, to her own constant, intimate union with 
God. This she would often acknowledge, with 
deepest gratitude ; still of tener it became manifest 
unintentionally, on her own part, that her union 
with God had reached a high degree. During her 
sleepless nights, in particular, her recollection was 
so great that her progress in contemplative prayer 
became the special object of her thanksgiving. One 
day, when conversing with the cheerful patient, a 
desirable opportunity presented itself for obtaining 
an insight into her interior life, and discovering 
the sources of her admirable resignation. On the 
whole, she attributed everything to the grace of 
God. ^^It is by the grace of God ; for, I dare say," 
she added, with almost blushing modesty, ^^I have 
ever been susceptible of divine grace." — The chief 
means by which she placed herself under the 
influence of grace were the following: 

1st. The acts of the three Divine Virtues which 
she repeated again and again, slowly and in a 
meditative manner, in connection with the various 
mysteries of the ecclesiastical year, particularly 
those of Lent, Easter and Pentecost. 

2nd. Special invocations of the Most Holy 
Trinity, to which mystery she had ever borne a 
deep and marked devotion. 

3rd. Ejaculations, especially to Jesus Crucified 
and the Sorrowful Mother. 

Many a time those who stood by were deeply 
moved at her child-like simplicity, in calling upon 
her Crucified Love — and her ^^Mamma, Mamma/' 
while, in the excess of pain, she fixed her 
eyes upon the crucifix or on an image of the Sor- 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 221 

rowful Mother, at the same time, stretching out 
her arms. She never parted with her rosary and 
crucifix. 

4th. Invocation of the saints, especially the 
martyrs. *'The martyrs, oh, the martyrs!'' she 
was wont to exclaim with great emotion. 

5th. Eeflections on purgatory and the sufferings 
of the poor souls. 

Very frequently she spoke of the poor souls, 
saying she would willingly suffer her purgatory in 
this life. ^ 'There is not a single day of my life,'' 
she once remarked, ''on which I did not commit 
some fault or other, and for each day of sin there 
ought to be a day of penance. On computing the 
round sum of days for her, she thought after all, 
our merciful God would not be so exact in His 
account. 

6th. The desire to suffer for others. 

Her Sisters, above all, she had ever at heart. 
God alone knows how many offerings she made for 
them. Judging from occasional remarks, her great 
sufferings at night were offered in atonement for 
the sins and crimes committed under the cover of 
darkness. 

7th. Her hopeful assurance of gaining Heaven 
and her unbounded confidence in the merits and 
mercy of Jesus Christ. 

Her fervor and devotion at Holy Communion 
deserve special mention. She received three times 
a week, always in a kneeling posture, until com- 
manded in holy obedience to receive in bed. So 
anxious was she not to forfeit even one Holy Com- 
that, in spite of her feverish thirst, her 



222 MOTHEE CAROLINE. 

sleeplessness and intense pain, she remained 
fasting from midnight, which was a real torture for 
her. She communicated at half past five o'clock, 
immediately before the community, so as not to 
disturb or incommodate. Only three times through- 
out her illness, could she be prevailed upon to 
receive shortly after midnight. 

By such and similar means, Mother Caroline 
succeeded in maintaining, for six months, that 
patience and resignation which made her a specta- 
cle in the sight of angels and men. Those long 
months of suffering meetly crowned her many years 
of labor. How glorious, then, must be the celestial 
crown merited by both her labors and sufferings. 



CHAPTEE XIII. 

Her Illness,— Continuation, according to the Writer's 

Diary. 

Having in the two preceding chapters endeavored 
to produce a faithful picture of our departed 
Mother's patient sufferings, principally with 
reference to her interior, the writer now intends to 
give an account of the external course of her 
illness, according to notes in his diary. He will, 
therefore, proceed in chronological order, relating 
occurrences, sayings and actions of the dear 
sufferer from day to day. 

After administering the last rites of the Church, 
steps were taken to obtain a distinction for our 
dear Mother, as consoling as it was honorable, and 
of which she was worthy in every respect. The 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 223 

Most Eev. Archbishop of Milwaukee supported the 
writer in his efforts, and the petition was sent to 
Eome, of course, without Mother's knowledge. 
March 3rd, the following despatch was received in 
reply: ^^Leo ipso die anniversario coronationis 
Matri Carolinae filiae suae perdilectae speciali 
paterna benevolentia benedictionem apostolicam, 
indulgentiam plenariam in articulo mortis im- 
pertit." ^^Just on the anniversary of his coronation^ 
Leo XIII., with special fatherly ben :volence, sends 
Mother Caroline, his well-beloved daughter, his 
apostolic benediction and the plenary indulgence 
for the hour of death." She received this consoling 
favor of the Holy Father with humility and 
reverence as sincere as were her joy and gratitude. 
Three weeks later the official document arrived, 
which afforded her still greater joy, as it was a 
beautiful expression of the Holy Father's well- 
wishes for the whole congregation. It was 
addressed to the Archbishop, and the following is 
a translation : — » 

Most Eeyerend Archbishop : 
Your Grace, 

I have the pleasure to inform you 
that the Holy Father has been specially gratified 
on receiving the intelligence of the great spread of 
the institute of School Sisters of Notre Dame in 
your country, chiefly through the efforts of the 
Commissary General, Venerable Mother Caroline. 
His Holiness, therefore, offers fervent prayers to 
the Lord for the preservatioxi of the Mother Com- 
missary, and, with all his heart, imparts her, as 
well as all the individual Sisters of this institute 



224 MOTHER CAEOLINE. 

his special blessing^ wishing at the same timej that 
their salutary labor for the education of youth 
may be ever more and more extended. In making 
this communication to Tour Grace, I am happy to 
declare myself, Most Eeverend Archbishop, 
Your obedient servant, 
M. Mocenni. 

Archbishop of Cherub. 

About the same time. Cardinal Gibbons of Balti- 
more wrote a very kind letter, in which His Emmi- 
nence informed our sick Mother that he had said 
Holy Mass for her, and assured her of his prayers, 
as also of his special favor in behalf of the Con- 
gregation. 

Soon after Mother Caroline had received Extreme 
Unction, the writer induced her to relate the 
history of her life, devoting a short time to this 
task, from day to day, when possible. — She made 
her communications with that candor which was so 
beautiful a trait of her character. Had not her 
childhood and youth been free from grave faults, 
she would have furnished material for a book 
similar to the ^^Confessions of St. Augustine.'^ 
Truly, she was not wanting in naivete and sincerity. 

In those never to be forgotten hours, the dear 
departed often spoke of the affairs of her Congre- 
gation. This she always did with great tranquillity 
and confidence, as she felt no anxiety for the 
future. She regarded the Congregation as the work 
of God, in whose hands she had merely been a 
weak instrument. She had labored for God, had 
always meant well, — and, therefore, she knew God 
must and will continue to further His work. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 225 

Dwelling upon the x)resent state of the Congrega- 
tion, she continued to interest herself in all that 
transpired, during her illness, giving many a good 
advice for the future. She spoke with great 
warmth on sisterly love, the spirit of prayer^ zeal for 
the honor of the Order. From superiors she exx)ected 
great love for their subjects. To be a superior is 
an art, she maintained, that can neither be taught 
nor learned ; but those, she thought, make the 
best superiors who have the greatest share of true 
love for their Sisters. Love, she said, is inven- 
tive, and if, now and then, it must employ firmness 
and rigor, it will easily find means to heal the 
wound inflicted and gain the troubled heart. 

With the same warmth, the revered sufferer 
spok^ of the necessity of unity among all the 
members of the Order, especially cherishing the 
hope that the two existing Motherhouses and those 
still to be established, would forever remain most 
intimately united. In speaking of this vastly 
important matter, she did not, however, betray any 
anxiety, as though she feared a separation. It 
was simply her strong love of peace and harmony 
that prompted her to dwell with such fervor on the 
strength and beauty of sisterly concord in a 
congregation so widely spread. — Thus the Lenten 
season passed — replete, not only with sorrows and 
sufferings, but with joys and consolations for 
herself and for all that had the happiness of wit- 
nessing her tranquil cheerfulness and angelic 
patience. 

On Holy Saturday she was very weak. Between 
four and five P. M. the narrator entered her room 



226 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

with the greeting ^^AUelujah!" and the question 
whether she had heard it in the morning. ^^Oh! 
yes,'' she answered, ^^I can sing it yet," — and 
really, she sang the AUelujah following the epistle 
of Holy Saturday, clearly and fervently to the end. 
Had she been allowed, she would have sung it as 
does the priest at the altar — only much better than 
some of us. Hereupon she began to speak with 
great fervor of the ^'Exultet" and the significant 
ceremonies of Holy Week. 

That same evening, arrangements were made by 
a number of the elder Sisters to surprise the dear 
sufferer with the ^^Eegina Coeli", which they sang 
in the Mater Dolorosa chapel, just opposite her 
room, while the so-called Eesurrection solemnity 
was held in the convent chapel. With joyful 
emotion she hailed the faithful singers and 
expressed her warmest thanks, while they hastened 
to the convent chapel, to receive the Benediction 
of the Most Holy Sacrament, and then back to the 
Mater Dolorosa chapel, to sing the ^'Laudate 
Dominum onines gentes." A hearty *^Bravo! 
bravo!" resounding from her sick-room, gave the 
Sisters evidence of the pleasure they had afforded 
their good Mother. 

On the great Easter Festival, she wasparticularly 
bright and happy. Her heart was overflowing 
with pure Easter-joy. *•! have given audience 
to-day," she exclaimed, as the narrator entered her 
room toward evening, finding her seated, for the 
first time, where she had received Extreme Unction 
nine weeks before. ^'And to whom have you given 
audience?" ^^To the professed Sisters and the 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 227 

novices." ^^But, then, you must also grant the 
candidates and the aspirants the same privilege." 
^ ^Certainly to-morrow." 

She felt, however, she would have to suffer the 
penalty of her great liveliness, as was really the case. 

On Easter Monday she could only grant an inter- 
view to a number of mission Sisters. At the early 
Mass in the Mater Dolorosa chapel, the aspirants 
sang some of the old German Easter hymns, among 
the rest, the beautiful ^^ Jesus lives", which 
afforded her the sweetest joy. 

The candidates could not be admitted to her bed- 
side before the second Sunday after Easter. 

On Low Sunday the writer greeted her with 
^^Pax tibi," alluding to the Gospel. Thanking him, 
she added, with great eagerness: ^^Peace I have 
always enjoyed. I would have rather let myself be 
beaten to death than to have no peace." 

Sunday, the SOth of AiDril, her sufferings were 
intense. The water had risen to her shoulders, as 
she expressed it. 

Her difficult breathing was distressing ; still she 
was in the most cheerful state of mind. The writer 
had occasion to ask her a few questions relating to 
the Civil "War. This recalled the deceased Mother 
Seraphina to her mind, at that time, superioress of 
a mission in Eichmond, the besieged capital of the 
South, and, forthwith, she began to relate one of 
her numerous anecdotes about that dear little 
mother : — ^ ^Mother Seraphina had a little goat that 
supplied her little community with milk. The 
goat was not very lavish with her gift, however, 
and, therefore, not in great favor with the Sisters ; 



228 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

but she was Mother Seraphina's pet. Besides this 
' ^Nanny goat, ' ' Mother Seraphina had also a goodly 
number of Southern * ^blue-backs'' (bills of little 
value). One day she had quite a pile of them 
lying on her table. The goat, which enjoyed many 
privileges, stood by in sweet innocence. Presently, 
our good little Mother was called to the parlor. 
Sprightly as she always was, she hastened to obey 
the summons, leaving the happy goat with her 
blue-backs. In a few minutes she returned; ancj 
the goat greeted her with a cheery butt. But, oh 
dear! where are the blue-backs'? Quick as thought, 
our little Mother takes in the situation and decides 
upon action. The unfortunate goat is slaughtered ; 
but alas 1 with poor Nanny, Mother Seraphina also 
lost her blue-backs, which the hungry creature had 
mistaken for green leaves.'' Our sick Mother 
related this incident in a manner so original and 
comical that the writer, not able to restrain his 
laughter, hastened out of the room. 

By this time (the beginning of May) our cheerful 
sufferer had become quite helpless. During the 
first three months of her illness she had expressed 
her satisfaction that she still had the use of her 
knee-joints. She was so glad, because, by a certain 
way of sliding, she could help herself out of bed 
and in again, sparing the Sisters the exertion of 
lifting and carrying her. As long as possible she 
exerted all her remaining strength to help herself. 
Though sad, it was, at the same time, amusing to 
see how her strong will controlled her weak body. 
When her poor swollen feet had become very 
unwieldy, she would command them with a power- 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 229 

f ul voice, ^ ^Feet apart ! one, two, three ! ' ' and, really, 
she succeeded. ''You see, I still know how to 
command," she added, heartily laughing. But 
these last signs of physical strength soon vanished, 
although her mental powers remained as active as 
ever. The higher the water rose, the greater 
became her difficulty in breathing. Low moans, 
feverish shivering and streaming tears were the 
only external manifestations of her excruciating 
pains. InTo sign of discontent was visible, no word 
of complaint escaped her lips. As soon as the 
spasms of pain and exhaustion had passed over, 
she was cheerful and lively as before. Her cross 
and rosary were scarcely ever out of her hands — 
just as little as the Crucified and His Mother, out 
of her heart. 

On Good Shepherd Sunday our dear Mother 
caused a sensation of mingled joy and sorrow all 
over the convent. Before seven A. M., soon after 
receiving Holy Communion, she sang a beautiful 
hymn to the Good Shepherd, which her uncle had 
taught her, when a little child. As the narrator 
stepped into her room, after divine service, in 
order to greet the '^Singer", she again sang the 
touching hymn, at his request, with the naivete of 
a child. Holy joy lighted up the sufferer's features. 
She sang the words with such firmness and 
expression, that all the Sisters present could not 
refrain from tears and sobs. The writer, too, had 
to withdraw quickly in order to control his 
emotion. In her ante-room he heard the last words 
of the hymn, a translation of which follows. 



230 MOTHER CAEOLIlSrE. 

To THE Good Shepherd. 

I am so happy, full of glee, 

Our Blessed Savior's lamb to be. 
He is my Shepherd, kind and dear, 

Whose gentle voice I love to hear. 
He takes me to his tender care, — 

His bounty ever lets me share. 
Protected by His arm, I know. 

Through dangers I can safely go. 
In living pastures, green and fair, 

He feeds my soul with food most rare, 
And gives me drink from founts of life 

With sweetest of refreshment rife. 
A happy, joyous child I am. 

To be my blessed Savior's lamb ! 
And, when my days on earth have passed, 

I shall be borne to Him, at last. 
Forever in His arms to rest 

In glorious mansions of the blest. 

Monday, May 2nd. — The dear patient was ex- 
ceedingly weak. ^^Now, Father," she said, ^^all 
will soon be over." She expressed the wish to 
have the prayers for the dying said while she was 
still fully conscious. Her mind was clear and 
cheerful as ever. The consciousness of her extra- 
ordinary patience made her very happy. ^^It is 
not human," she would say, ^'but the fruit of all 
the prayers and Holy Masses offered for me. A 
good child will obey without delay. A child of 
God, I will be in all things." 

Middle of May. — Her patience having been so 
great from the beginning, it would not be correct 
to say it has increased. We may, indeed, call it 
perfect, even heroic, as she prays for an increase of 
sufferings. It is both touching and edifying to 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 231 

witness her anxiety not to be wanting m perfect 
resignation, in any respect. ^^I have been trying 
to think of some means/' she remarked one day, 
'^to relieve my burning thirst; but I fear it is 
against conformity with the will of God.'' Drinks 
to produce sleep or any stupefying effect^ she 
absolutely refuses. She is anxious to remain fully 
conscious, in order to render her suffering more 
meritorious. The narrator need not offer her any 
encouragement; indeed, he can but thank her for 
the beautiful example she gives to sick and suffer- 
ing Sisters. 

Extraordinary person that Mother Caroline 
always has been, she manifests on her death-bed a 
greatness of soul which but few can attain. Only 
in the next world will the merits of her painful 
sickness be revealed. Happy the daughters for 
whom such a mother offers such sufferings ! 

May 16th. With great animation she again spoke 
of the affairs of the Order, dwelling, in particular 
on the fact that school entertainments are becoming 
too numerous and lengthy, even lasting till late at 
night. This she considers a disorder which ought 
not to be tolerated. The writer informing her that 
he had occasion, but a few days ago, to order the 
Sisters of a certain mission not to be out of their 
dwelling later than ten o'clock, she expressed her 
hearty approval. She declared, moreover, that 
arrangements must be made to have, at the most, 
but two entertainments a year, — one by the junior 
pupils and another by the higher classes. Thus, 
time and trouble will be saved, as well for the 
Sisters, as for their pupils ; for too many entertain- 



232 MOTHEIi CAROLINE. 

ments rob the children of their study- time and, 
with great detriment to recollection of spirit, 
disturb the Sisters' daily order. These entertain- 
ments, besides, give rise to jealousy and nourish 
the love of vain show. 

May 17th. With the usual oppression on her 
chest, she had great difficulty in expectorating, so 
that she was threatened with suffocation. The 
physicians declared her to be in great danger. Her 
nervous system was very much excited. With 
trembling hand, she feverishly stroked her forehead, 
crying out : ^'Oh ! my head is getting to be so wild ! 
I cannot help it, but how can I commune with God, 
while my nerves are so unstrung^' It was her 
greatest desire to go to meet her God with full 
consciousness. She wished to see all the Sisters 
once more. Each one, in turn, knelt by her bed- 
side, to receive her parting blessing. The Arch- 
bishop calling to see her, she bade him a touching 
farewell, thanking him most fervently for his 
fatherly kindness and recommending the Sisters to 
his pastoral care. She also renewed her petition 
to obtain an assistant chaplain for the Motherhouse. 
She had previously thanked the narrator, and, 
gratefully kissing his hand, again besought him to 
remain with the Sisters, which he promised to do. 

As soon as she could breathe a little more freely, 
her astonishing cheerfulness returned, and she 
sang the first line of the hymn, ^^ Jesus, my Cruci- 
fied Love." In a sinking spell, she repeatedly 
called aloud: ^^ Jesus! Jesus!'' and again, ^ ^Mam- 
ma I Mamma!" kissing her hand to the sacred 
images. There was something so child-like and 



MOTHER CAROLINE, 233 

beautiful in her countenance^ that all present were 
moved to tears. 

When the narrator approached her bedside with 
a letter in his hand, she remarked, ^'I can read 
that yet.'' On receiving the reply, that eyes still 
seeing so clearly in this world, would not so very 
soon oiDcn in the next, she laughed heartily. 

She again took occasion to speak of the Adora- 
tion Chapel, in particular, of the beautiful ''Three- 
Kings' Star" which had been affixed to the altar 
within the last few days. Touching ui3on her last 
painful journey, she remarked that it was during 
the night preceding the feast of the Ex)iphany that 
she had determined to return to Milwaukee. Had 
she not followed that star, as she assured us, she 
would never have reached the Motherhouse again. 

At seven o'clock in the evening, the prayers for 
the dying were said in the presence of the com- 
munity. She joined with touching devotion, bow- 
ing her head and folding her hands, especially at 
the most expressive parts of those solemn prayers. 
Whenever the Sisters sought to moisten her 
feverish lii3s or offer some refreshment, she steadily 
refused, with a wave of her hand. A great number 
of the Sisters desired to watch with her during the 
night; but she allowed no one to remain, except 
her nurses, ordering the rest quietly to retire. 

She passed the night in a better condition than 
could have been exi^ected. In the morning of the 
18th, she was greatly exhausted, but she breathed 
a little more freely. ^'Is n't it strangeT' she said, 
''as soon as the prayers for the dying were con- 
cluded, I felt sleepy. I did sleej) a little, and my 



234 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

head is more quiet. Those prayers are so solemn ; 
I understood them so well." Upon the narrator's 
remark that he had noticed this from the manner 
in which she had repeatedly bowed her head, she 
again spoke with great fervor of the beauty and 
unction of the prayers of Holy Church. 

Towards evening she was very cheerful, although 
the physicians had declared she could die any 
moment. ^^There is as great a difference,'' she 
said, ^ ^between my present state and that of 
yesterday, as between night and day. Yesterday 
I was almost gone ; I felt as if every breath was to 
be my last. I could only comi)are myself to the 
last pipe of some old organ, which still has some- 
thing of a broken tone left." Pointing to her feet, 
she laughingly remarked: ^^O my feet! my feet! 
they must suffer the penalty now — though not of 
dancing; I never danced, but I was always 
skipping and running." Here she again recalled 
sweet memories of her happy childhood. 

May 19th. For the first time her hands are 
swollen. She takes pains, notwithstanding, to 
trace the initials of her name, M. C. and a cross, 
in token of her blessing, on the back of little 
pictures, in order to distribute them as keepsakes. 
^^The children," meaning the Sisters, ^^give me no 
peace." 

For a few days following, there was no material 
change. Faithful Mother Clara had come from the 
East once more. May 22nd, the writer met her in 
the sick-room, just as she was taking leave of our 
dear suffering Mother, who was deeply moved. 
She emphatically recommended unity and cordial 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 235 

relations between the Sisters of the East and the 
West. ^ ^Always remain united. It is this unity 
alone that, "with the mercy of God, can consolidate 
and j)reserve our Congregation. The East and the 
West — the West and the East — must be one and 
the same, and if even new motherhouses be 
established, all must be one.'' — Alluding to the 
superior rank of the Milwaukee Motherhouse, as 
the seat of the Commissary General, she added : 
'^'So Cardinal nor Archbishop can have any objec- 
tion. The Sisters in the East must not forget 
how often Milwaukee has helped them. The East 
and the West shall keep up an active intercourse, 
rendering mutual assistance and conferring with 
each other on the interests of the Order, that unity 
and conformity may be maintained forever.'' All 
this she said in a voice choked with tears, and 
with that solemn earnestness which was peculiar to 
Mother Caroline. 

On the feast of the Ascension she thus addressed 
her physician: ^'Doctor, I am too heavy to go to 
Heaven." A painful smile diffused itself over her 
features, whilst this significant pun evinced, at the 
same time, the clearness of her mind and the 
intensity of her sufferings. 

May 28th. She begged permission to give the 
poor all the presents she received during her 
illness. For the first time she experienced some 
difficulty in reconciling herself to the thought that 
her illness might prove a lingering one and give 
great trouble to those who waited on her so lovingly. 

She again expressed her fears, lest the continual 
proofs of love and veneration she received, might 



236 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

be an occasion of vain glory. Her one great desire 
was to please God alone, and to persevere in the 
spirit of hnmility and penance. 

May 29tli — ]f^oonday. ^^I can scarcely refrain 
from weeping", she said to the narrator, sadly 
smiling. ^^I^ot a moment's sleep did I have since 
eleven o'clock last night. Oh! I can well under- 
stand the words of our Lord to His disciples : 
^^Could you not watch one hour with me?" Then 
she most touchingly dwelt upon the fact that the 
life and sufferings of our Lord always suggested 
matter for reflection specially adapted to her 
present state. Her spirit was always active, 
— animated with the most lively faith. 

May 31st. Eecurring to St. Dominic, of whom 
she had been speaking a few days before, she said, 
although she had never entertained any particular 
devotion to this saint, still, in her present state, 
she beheld him nearly every night, shortly after 
twelve o'clock. He led her to the chapel — though 
she knew quite clearly that she rem.ained in bed — 
first, to his picture and thence around to all the 
paintings of the Eosary Mysteries. This was a 
real treat and recreation for her, in her sufferings 
during the night. She loved the Eosary very 
much, although she felt some diffidence in reciting 
it, fearing not to do so with sufficient recollection 
and devotion. These apparitions she regarded as 
a reward of her charity toward the Dominican 
Sisters in their early difficulties, having given 
candidates over to them, and otherwise lent them 
assistance. As good Mother Hyacintha, Superior 
of the Dominicans in Eacine, had been one of these 



MOTHER OAliOLINE. 237 

candidates, the writer invited her to visit Mother 
Caroline, which she did soon after. 

In connection with her remarks on the Eosary, 
that same day, she tearfnlly spoke of the cross- 
bearing Savior. The fact that so few think of our 
Lord carrying His heavy Cross, always gave her 
pain. She renewed her resolution to endure her 
sufferings with persevering patience, in order to 
.bear the cross with Jesus. 

Thus passed the month of May, rich in sufferings 
as in merits. About the middle of Mary's month, 
it seemed her last hour had come ; but, at the 
close, her condition was such that hopes were 
entertained she would linger throughout the month 
of the Sacred Heart. 

During the month of May, she often spoke of 
discontinuing our Day and High School. For some 
years jpast, the Convent had been too crowded, the 
apartments too small for the ever increasing num- 
ber of aged and infirm Sisters, deserving of a good 
home in their Motherhouse. More room was 
wanted, besides, for the growing number of 
aspirants, who had always been the fond object of 
our Mother's joy and solicitude. In order that this 
breaking up of the school might not have the 
appearance of an innovation, after her death, the 
narrator deemed it his duty to advise the. dying 
Superior, herself to ai3point the end of the scholas- 
tic year as the time of its final close. She willingly 
assented, at the same time expressing the hope 
that the Sisters, more in particular the local 
superiors, would interest themselves in behalf of 
good and talented girls, desirous of entering the 



238 MOTHER CAEOLIlSrE. 

class of aspirants. It was her will that such should 
be admitted, even though they might not be able 
to pay for their education. 

June 1st. She remarked that she could not hold 
out much longer J as the water continued rising 
higher and higher. This she said calmly and 
cheerfully ; but her voice was choked with tears, 
when she added: ^^l^ow the Sisters have all been 
here. The parting was harder than death; oh yes! 
harder than death." — In the course of the day she 
applied herself to looking up names for the 
postulants, who were to receive the habit on the 
21st. — She also spoke, for a considerable time, on 
the affairs of the Order. 

June 2nd. ^^I have been free from pain for a few 
hours. It is very singular, the physician declares 
the rising water would destroy any other life in 
twenty-four hours. I can often hear it rushing up, 
as if in a i)ump." — She is still engaged in looking 
up names of saints for the iDostulants. 

June 3rd. A few days j)revious, she had received 
a letter from Munich, the contents of which greatly 
moved her. She was very grateful for the sympathy 
expressed by Mother Superior General and the 
Sisters, more in particular, for the i)rayers offered 
for her at the shrine of St. Walburga in Eichstaedt, 
so dear to her heart since the days of her childhood. 

June 4th. Very weak to-day. ^'I cannot think 
any more ; at times, I barely know that I am still 
alive. I am becoming so indifferent." Tears again 
filled her eyes at the thought that she might die in 
a state of unconsciousness. ^ ' I cannot help it ; but my 
desire, my desire (to remain conscious) is so 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 239 

great." The writer liad just received a letter from 
Mother Theophila, with the request to inform the 
dear patient of a Sister's death. He did so, in 
order to ascertain whether her intellectual faculties 
were really impaired as much as she feared. ^^Is 

Sister O dead!" she exclaimed with great 

animation, and forthwith began to relate some 
facts about her. The letter stated that the Sister 
had earnestly striven to live as a true religious. 
^^Oh! certainly, certainly, she tried to be good. 
She was a good singer, too, full of life and energy. 
Her mother was one of my pupils at Philadelphia" 
(some forty years ago). Here followed a few anec- 
dotes about the little school-girl, which were really 
delightful, and served to quiet the writer's fears as 
to the weakened state of her memory. After a 
little while, she remarked that her hearing and 
sight were still quite good, and she gratefully 
resolved to turn the impressions received through 
these senses to her spiritual advantage. For this 
purpose she had a painting of our Savior crowned 
with thorns, as a mock-king, placed in such position 
that she could fix her eyes upon it. On receiving 
the assurance that special j)rayers were continually 
offered to obtain the grace of consciousness for her 
to the end, she smiled her thanks. To obtain this 
grace was the constant desire of her heart ; but her 
conformity with the Divine Will was very i3erfect 
in every respect. 

On the great feast of Pentecost she felt somewhat 
better than usual. Her mind was filled with deep 
devotion in commemorating the mysteries of the day. 

On being reminded that the candidates who 



240 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

were preparing for Eeception^ had that morning 
exchanged the bonnet for the postulant's Yeil^ she 
expressed her desire to see them, one by one, as 
soon as she would at all feel able. 

Whit-Monday she admitted one half their num- 
ber, and for each, in turn, she had a maternal word 
of admonition. She questioned those with whom 
she had been longer acquainted as to whether they 
had corrected certain faults, and exhorted all to 
take the important step before them with proper 
disposition. Blessing each with holy water, she 
herself held the vase, not allowing any one to 
render her this service. 

In the afternoon the long expected Last Supper, 
by Schneiderhahn, of St. Louis, arrived for the 
Adoration Chapel. She examined it with the 
greatest interest, and, after making a few little 
remarks of criticism, expressed hei' api)reciation 
by calling it a master-piece. As she knew the 
artist was not in very good circumstances, she was 
anxious to have payment made without delay. 

June 7th, she admitted the remaining forty 
postulants, after which she was so exhausted, that 
the narrator, for the first time, did not i)ay her his 
usual daily visit. 

The following day she had a most cordial inter- 
view with Yen. Mother Hyacintha, Superioress of 
the Dominicans at Eacine. 

June 9th. Physically weaker, but in good 
spirits. — She charged me to have the paintings in 
the sanctuary of the convent chapel all replaced by 
reliefs, in course of time. As the Eogation Pro- 
cessions had very much excited her, I hesitated as 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 241 

to holding the customary procession on the feast of 
Corpus Christi. ^^But you will surely not omit 
the procession on my account, ' ' she said with great 
fervor. ^ ^Although I am not heroic in sufferings, 
I wish, at least, to endure all I can. This must 
remove every doubt on your part, Eev. Father.'' — 
She again spoke of the Last Sui^per by Schneider- 
hahn, and began to tease me about the organ for 
the Adoration Chapel, which she thought I would 
not get in time for the dedication. With the live- 
liest gratification, she spoke of the plan the Arch- 
bishop had proposed, during the Catholic Conven- 
tion at Green Bay, to make the parish schools free. 
Such, too, had been Bishop Krautbauer's inten- 
tion. — Speaking of the grave-yard at Elm-Grove, 
she considered the stone cross which I intended 
erecting, too expensive, but only because she knew 
it would principally serve as a monument over her 
grave. 

The following day her weakness increased very 
much, in consequence of her absolutely sleepless 
nights ; but her mind remained perfectly clear. 

June 11th, the eve of the happy day on which 
twelve day- scholars were to receive their first Holy 
Communion. She took the greatest interest in the 
solemnity, saying: ^^ These children require special 
care and attention ; for it is sad to think how little 
religious training the most of them receive at home. ' ' 

June 12th, Trinity Sunday, she grew so weak 
that she could not speak. She lay motionless, 
except when she made the sign of the cross, at 
short intervals. The water seemed to surround her 
heart. Now and then, she made a little circular 



242 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

moYement about the hearty to manifest the cause 
of her pain and oppression. Toward half past six, 
she nodded her grateful assent to have the prayers of 
the dying said onco more, unless there would soon 
be a favorable change. 

Half past eight P. M. — The change took i)lace. 
As the writer stepped in, she smiled and^ looking 
at the picture of St. Antony, which had just been 
brought to her room, playfully remarked that the 
figure was too stout. I'hen she described her con- 
dition : ^^It seems as if iron gates were beating 
against my heart and driving the water to the 
right side.'' On quoting the Scripture passage for 
her: ^^ Aquae multae non potuerunt extinguere 
caritatem'' — Many waters cannot extinguish char- 
ity, she said: ^^Latin verses are very pretty, but 
my time for poetry is over." When told she was 
to receive Holy Communion shortly after midnight, 
she expressed her willingness to comply with holy 
obedience; '^But the Sisters,'' she said, with eager- 
ness, ^^the Sisters must have their necessary sleep." 
She felt some anxiety, lest she might not be 
sufBciently conscious for receiving Holy Com- 
munion, but a few words of encouragement 
reassured her, especially when she was told Holy 
Communion would be brought her quietly, without 
the sound of a bell, in order not to wake the 
Sisters. She received at half past twelve, con- 
scious, indeed! In the morning she said, mth 
great emphasis : ^'Why did you not let me die last 
night! It would have been so sweet." Being told 
we would have her live as long as we could, 
leaving the time of her death to God, she replied : 



MOTHEH CAROLINE. 243 

^^But if one thinks of nothing else and wishes for 
nothing else than union with God, it must surely 
be time to die.'' 

Aware of the writer's intention to celebrate the 
feast of St. Antony with the Capuchins, she began 
to express her grateful esteem ior the worthy 
ex-provincial, Father Antony, and requested me to 
send him a box of good wine, saying he had 
worked hard, grown old and feeble ; a glass of 
port- wine would do him good. She desired me to 
congratulate the good Father, in her name, and to 
treat the whole community. Ever the same heart- 
felt, grateful love for all ! 

June 14th. Thought she must die, if not to-day, 
at least by to-morrow. Now she had the five 
wounds she said, as the water was also oozing from 
her right side. ^^My heart must be strong, after 
all. Fire and water cannot destroy it." In the 
course of our conversation, she spoke of the neces- 
sity of controlling the feelings by reason and faith, 
if souls, otherwise really good, were not to suffer 
great harm. 

On the eve of Corpus ChriGti, she had a quarter 
of CjH hour's slumber, after passing the previous 
night in utter sleeplessness. She was, conse- 
quently, physically excited and restless, but in 
cheerful spirits, perfectly resigned. With a smile 
of content, she rested her head on her arm, like a 
sleeping child, so that we called her ^'a good baby." 

The feast of Corpus Christi, she spent in silent 
adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament. In the 
evening, June 16th, the retreat of the postulants 
began. She took the liveliest interest, seeking to 



244 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

aid them by her prayers and sufferings. — On the 
feast of St. Aloysius, forty-three received the habit, 
whom she admitted that same afternoon, giving 
each her blessing, a picture, and a little treat. — 
The forty received the following day, enjoyed the 
same privilege. 

June 26th. During the past week there was 
little change in her condition. — To-day she is 
suffering exceedingly. Her difficulty in breathing 
is slightly relieved by the continual issue of water 
from the openings above mentioned ; her head, too, 
feels lighter ; but for this very reason her pains are 
all the more acute. She has had cramps so severe, 
that, nothwithstanding her weight, she was lifted 
up violently. Her interior life was full of activity. 
Her spirit dwelt with the poor souls a great part 
of the time. It also wandered to the different 
missions and to the Sisters' school-rooms. She 
was filled with anxiety as to the duration of her 
sickness. In regard to her soul she was not 
troubled, for she resigned it entirely to her good 
and merciful God ; but her body, with all the water 
that filled it! I remarked, if she were not suffering 
so patiently, I myself would wish her to die soon ; 
but the grace of perfect resignation, so evidently 
granted her, rendered her sufferings too precious, 
to desire an abridgment. In profound humility, 
she again expressed the hope that her sufferings 
might prove acceptable to God, in atonement for 
her own sins and those of others. Her only desire 
was to have no wish at all, in regard to the dura- 
tion of her illness, but wholly to abandon herself 
to the Divine Will. Yesterday the physicians had 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 245 

told her they could do nothing for her whatever. 
^^How must people of the world feel," she asked, 
^^when they are told anything of the kind^" With 
fervent thanks she again spoke of the inexhaustible 
consolations which our holy religion affords in 
sufferings. 

June 28th. Yesterday she suffered exceedingly; 
to-day she enjoys some relief , — slept a little in a 
sitting posture. She inspected the plans for the 
new novitiate with great interest, but only for a 
few minutes, — wishes the new Motherhouse in St. 
Louis to be built in the same style^ — the chapel 
extending out from the middle. 

June 29th. This morning she authorized Mother 
Clara, in her own hand-writing, to hold a reception 
of forty-one novices in the East. The conclusion 
ran thus : Given in the chief Motherhouse at Mil- 
waukee, "Wis., June 29th, 1892, while awaiting my 
final dissolution, with the humble request of 
prayer for a happy death. 

Mary Caroline Friess, 

Commissary General of the 
School Sisters de K. D. 

On the feast of the Sacred Heart, she suddenly 
exclaimed: ^^Oh! the generous Heart of Jesus, full 
of infinite mercy! It even bore with a Judas, — so 
lovingly pardoned the fallen Peter. A hundred 
and a thousand times I have held up this example 
to the Sisters, when they were unwilling to bear 
with one another,— and, generally, because of mere 
childish trifles. — Oh! the merciful Heart of Jesus! 
Surely, one may have confidence.'' 



246 MOTHER CAROLINE 

June 30th. — This morning she admitted all the 
aspirants^ about to leave for vacation. In the 
evening she was very cheerful. Eelated how she 
makes her trips from bed to arm-chair and back 
again. At the word, ^^ready'' operations begin, 
with halts at ^^one, two, three," till her nurses 
have her seated in her chair, or lying on her bed 
again. — Last week her physicians had deceived her 
by prescribing a sleeping powder, but she had 
strictly forbidden it for the future. — She finds the 
struggle between her inferior and superior nature 
hard, at times, but the thought of purgatory, 
merits to be acquired, and satisfaction to be 
rendered, gives the necessary strength. 

July 2nd. I offered to bring her Holy Com- 
munion after midnight, but she iDositively refused, 
intimating that she offers her sufferings during the 
night for the grievous sins committed under the 
cover of darkness. The design of the new chalice 
for the Adoration Chapel, awakened her full 
interest. In honor of the day — feast of the Visita- 
tion, the Sisters sang the Magnificat in the chapel 
opposite her room; but she was too weak to join. 
Her cheerfulness was undisturbed. 

July 3rd. As amiable and cheerful as ever. 
When the writer entered her room, she began to 
recite the first stanza of a hymn to the Precious 
Blood which she had heard sung, in her youth, by 
the sturdy men of St. James' Congregation, at 
Munich, on the morning of the feast. She offered 
me some cherries, saying : ^^It is my last pleasure 
on earth to give the Sisters the good things I 
receive, but cannot touch.'' The cherries recalled 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 247 

fond memories of childhood. ^ ^ When I was naughty 
at table," she began to relate^ '^ which was not 
seldom, Uncle confined me to an adjoining room, 
until I would beg pardon and ask for my dinner. 
Once, when undergoing this punishment, I found 
a basket of cherries in the room — large black heart- 
cherries. Presently I began to feast upon them, 
but very cautiously, so as not to stain my lii3S and 
teeth. School-time arrived, and Uncle opening 
the door, told me to go. He, of course, expected 
me to ask for my dinner; but I would not. 1 
started for school. As I turned the corner of our 
block, there stood my good grandmother, waiting 
for me with a large honey- cake ; but I refused it. 
Grandmother on returning to the house, soon found 
ont why I had declined the tempting dainty ; but 
she did not betray me to Uncle.'' 

On my expressing the hope that she would, after 
all, live to see the opening of the Perpetual Adora- 
tion, she remarked, after a slight pause, ^^AU 
things are in the hands of God." She has attained 
such a degree of holy indifference, that she abso- 
lutely desires to have no wish whatever, but in all 
things to conform to the Divine Will. 

July 4th. She was displeased, because through 
consideration for her in her suffering state, we had 
not hoisted the flag on the glorious Fourth. ^ ^I love 
America," she exclaimed with joyful emotion. 

She asked my advice in regard to the young 
religious who were begging to take the perpetual 
vows, in hopes of obtaining this favor, as a last 
proof of her love, although they had not reached 
the traditional age of thirty-three. As seven or 



248 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

more years liad elapsed since these Sisters had 
pronounced their first vows, I advised her not to 
refuse any one, unless she had really rendered her- 
self unworthy of the grace. Highly pleased, she 
remarked it is, after all, only the Bavarian Law 
that prescribes the age of thirty-three, and, there- 
fore, the Sisters in America ought not to be obliged 
to wait so long. 

July 5th. Full of interior joy — ^^But,'' she 
said, ^^the golden period of true interior recollec- 
tion is over for me ; I find it more and more 
difficult to keep my mental faculties under perfect 
control. My spirit wanders, and the imagination 
loses itself. My physical dissolution is advancing. ' ' 
When I observed that she would, after all, 
retain the clearness of her mind and the active 
power of her will, though, perhaps, not as per- 
fectly as heretofore, she was much gratified. 

She next spoke of the Sisters. Now, after all 
the Superiors had been here, and vacation had 
begun, all the rest were anxious to come. I told 
her that was right, all ought to come, if possible ; 
it would do them good — they would derive spiritual 
benefit. This was the point that she urged ever 
and again. Her thoughts recurring to the Adora- 
tion Chapel, she expressed her admiration of 
Divine Providence in so directing all things, that 
this dear sanctuary should be far enough completed 
for the mission Sisters to see it in all its beauty. 

July 6th. The dear patient was so lively that 
the Sisters thought she would be able to attend the 
dedication of the Adoration Chapel, and showed 
her the place — on the photograph — which they 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 249 

would prepare for her. Their child-like expecta- 
tions greatly amused her. 

July 7th. Had a very bad night. Cramps in 
her limbs caused her great pains. Her mind was 
wandering ; she was restless. She herself declared 
it to be the restlessness of the dying. — She under- 
stands her case clearly , — is anxious to control her- 
self, but can do so no longer. The assurance given 
her that there is nothing morally wrong or sinful 
in this state, calmed and consoled her. In terms 
the most explicit, she placed herself under the 
control of her nurses, in order to guard against 
anything that might be wrong. The desire she 
felt, in this state of excitement, to know and direct 
everything amused her. It had become a second 
nature to her, she remarked, after being in com- 
mand for forty-two years. There was not the least 
sign of impatience or repining. — As soon as any 
Sister who had come for vacation or profession, 
approached her bedside, she, as ever, manifested 
her wonderful memory and her maternal love. 

July 8th. Toward evening she received a visit 
from the ArchbishoiD, Father Francis, General 
Definitor of the Capuchin Order, from Eome, and 
Father Lawrence, the Provincial. They found her 
as affable and cheerful as ever. ^^The same 
Mother Caroline still," said the distinguished 
visitors. 

July 9th. Her sufferings were intense, yet she 
was full of deep interest for the Sisters who were 
preparing for profession. 

July 10th. Quite exhausted from the tortures of 
the foregoing night. She had cramj)s so violent, 



250 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

that lier nurses had to carry her back and forth 
from bed to chair four times within two hours. It 
was, indeed, a night of cruel sufferings ; still she 
received Holy Communion at the usual time. 

July 11th. To-day, for the first time, it is really 
painful to be with the dear sufferer. In con- 
sequence of her racking pains during the past two 
nights, besides the oppressive heat at present, her 
spirit is clouded ; her speech confused. She 
imagines she has been taken to Sisters of another 
Order. Forty years a superioress — and now she is 
but a candidate, — less than a candidate ; but she 
will be humble and contented, it is the will of God. 
The Sisters try to convince her that she is at home. 
The physician told her she had been in another 
convent, but now she is at home again. If this be 
so, the Sisters have deceived her. She scolds about 
secret doings. The Sisters should not be guilty of 
such things. Her sincere, upright heart has been 
wounded ; still she is kind and loving as a child, — 
has something to give to every one. — The writer 
must explain matters to her ; she requests him to 
call again in the evening. — 

I found her a little clearer, but not at ease yet 
in regard to her place of abode. She begged me 
not to let the Sisters take her away. — On telling 
her I must go to the seminary, to attend the synod 
next morning, ]ier full interest was awakened. 
Prayers must be said for this intention. I should 
tell the Sisters to pray fervently for the synod. 

July 12th. Is confused, — imagines she had no 
physician and no medicine. The doctor succeeds 
in reassuring her that she is at home. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 251 

July 13th— Early in the morning. She was 
fully conscious of her confused state of mind. It 
pained her^ but she did not complain. ^^I cannot 
resist/' she declared with a sad smile. — In the 
evening her mind was much clearer. A lay- sister, 
who was going on mission came to take leave. 
Presently she showed her the same affection as 
ever on such occasions. Turning to me, she 
remarked: ^-Sister has a good will, but she is 
rather forgetful." — ^^Walk before God, dear Sister, 
walk before Godc Be faithful, persevere, mth the 
grace of God. Give my love to the Sisters — to 
each one in particular.'' Here she blessed her, 
making the cross on her forehead, and heartily 
embraced her, fixing a last long look upon the 
sobbing Sister. 

July 14th. Very weak. Her wanderings all 
pertained to the Holy Sacrifice. Several times she 
asked for her stockings and shoes, to go to Mass, 
recited Mass-prayers, the ^'Sanctus, sanctus, sanc- 
tus,'' — adored the Savior and communed with 
Him, as after the Consecration. In the evening 
her mind was clear and composed. I drew her 
attention to a letter from the Most Eev. Archbishop 
of New Orleans, in which he applied for Sisters, to 
take charge of deaf-mutes. She remembered, at 
once, how we had conferred on taking such a 
school, some years ago. She Was quite willing to 
comply, speaking with great emphasis of the 
necessary growth and spread of the Order in the 
South. Formerly we had been too much intent 
upon having Xew Orleans alone, in the South ; but, 
without spreading beyond that city, there would 



252 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

be no life and activity, in the Soutliern branch of 
the Congregation. The poor deaf-mutes called 
forth all her compassion, — it would be a good work 
to care for them. She wished the Sisters to know 
that she is as willing to provide for the South as for 

any other place. Speaking of her condition, 

she described it with painful clearness. Her limbs 
caused her terrible pains. — She, nevertheless, was 
troubled in conscience, lest her nurses were doing 
too much for her; not all was necessary, she 
thought ; it was only done to relieve her sufferings, 
and she feared it might be a want of perfect resig- 
nation to accept such alleviations. I assured her 
it was her duty to let the Sisters do all in their 
power ; they ought to prove their loving gratitude, 
and she might not refuse their services. 

July 15th. The night was terrible. Burning 
pains and cramps distorted her limbs in a most 
pitiable manner. 

July 16th. Eeceived Holy Communion, soon 
after midnight, with a clear mind and fervent 
devotion. For the rest, she passed the night in 
tortures. — She always beheld Sisters around her,— 
the most of them deceased. They beckoned for 
her. Her mind was much occupied with school- 
children. When prayers were said, she was always 
quite conscious, pronouncing the words distinctly 
and devoutly. 

July 17th. Eeceived Holy Communion shortly 
after midnight, just as she had an attack of the 
most racking pains. She prayed aloud most 
touchingly : ^^O Jesus, Thou knowest I really wisn 
to do penance, — to suffer everything. O Jesus^ 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 253 

my love should be greater than my pains, but 
alas ! my pains are greater than my love. Jesus, 
Jesus, help me!'' She said the Confiteor aloud, 
pronouncing every word distinctly. Her move- 
ments, she could not control; she "was too much 
agitated by her cruel pains. Here was an heroic 
struggle, as edifying as it was painful to behold. 
During the day she enjoyed a little sleep — was 
more tranquil, as lovable as a child in her looks 
and expressions. She often thought of her grand- 
mother. 

Sister Kiliana thinks she cannot survive four 
nights more like the past. 

July 18th. Quiet, but confused. Not yet con- 
vinced that she is at home. 

July 19th. A night of excruciating pains. — Con- 
tinually wished to rise and go to Holy Mass. Was 
praying most of the time, and nearly always in 
Latin, particularly the Salve Eegina. — In her 
terrible pains she cried out : ^^I shall burst! I shall 
burst!" — This morning she again wished to attend 
my Holy Mass. The weather is very unfavorable, 
dark and cloudy; the heat oppressive. Toward 
half past ten in the forenoon, I was called ; it 
appeared her last hour had come. Her neck was 
stiff ; she suffered unspeakably, but her spirit was 
unclouded. When prayers were said, she joined 
in the responses quite audibly, bowed her head and 
struck her breast at the words, ^^ Jesus for Thee I 
live,'' etc. After the Divine Acts, she said, 
solemnly and fervently: ^^Tes, in faith, hope and 
charity, I will die.'' Her labored breath was pain- 
ful in the extreme. ^^Air! air!" she cried. ^^My 
head higher, higher!" For the first time, she let 



254 MOTHER CAROLIIS^E. 

the Sisters fan her ; she had always thought it too 
great a comfort. She prayed repeatedly, as she 
had during the night : ^'O clemens, o pia, o dulcis 
Virgo Maria! Ostende — ostende, — Mater miseri- 
cordiae! Jesus, into Thy hands I commend my 
spirit." She desired to receive the Viaticum. 
^^The sweet Infant Jesus must come once more-'' — 
Eeceived with great fervor. — The Sisters assembled 
in retreat recited the rosary for her in the chai)el. 
I acquainted them of their beloved Mother's dying 
state. They controlled their feelings admirably. 
The retreat- master, Father Maximilian, O. S. F., 
at his special request, brought her the Viaticum. 
Gradually she revived — tranquil but exceedingly 
exhausted. — 

Towards one o'clock. — ^^I am still alive.'' 
About four, the two physicians called. They were 
astonished to find her so much better. I made the 
remark that the doctors had been faithful in their 
attendance. ^^Yes," said their dying patient, 
thoughtfully, ^^a thousand times we may say so, 
with a good conscience." 

About six o'clock the Most Eev. Archbishop 
called to see her. She received his blessing 
devoutly ; but the next moment her mind wandered. 
The heat is uncommonly great. Toward eight 
o'clock, she was very calm. ^*But when the mind 
is quiet," she said, ^ ^reflection comes — and then, 
so many thoughts, words and actions!" — Eemind- 
ing her of the mercy of God and the Mater miseri- 
cordiae, consoled her. She then spoke of prayer, 
and called the services rendered her, works of 
mercy, which she would accept from her children 
— the Sisters. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 255 

July 20th. utterly exhausted. Took no nourish- 
ment the whole day, except a teaspoonful of soup. 
She asked for a glass of wine, blessed it, but could 
not drink. — She often spoke of the deceased Sisters, 
especially the elder, and expressed her joy* at the 
thought of their ai)proaching reunion in Heaven. 
To-day she also suffered interiorly, and, for the 
first timCj grew sad, at intervals. On the whole, 
her cheerful spirit, however, prevailed. 

July 21st. So weak that this will probably be 
her last day on earth. I said Holy Mass for her 
again, at the close of which she sent for me. 
^^Pray! Pray! Jesus mercy!" she cried out in her 
terrible pain ; otherwise, she was calm and resigned 
as ever. In the course of the day, she could 
scarcely sjjeak a word ; but she is a picture of 
interior peace, — yes, of hai^py transfiguration. It 
does one good to see her, if but for an instant. 

July 22nd, twenty minutes after seven A. M. the 
great sufferer breathed her last. 

Eequiem aeternam dona ei, Domine! 
Et lux perpetua luceat ei. 



CHAPTEE XIV. 

Mother Caroline's Death and Burial. 

Funeral Sermons of the Most Eey. Archbishop and the 
Key. Benedict Keithart, C. S.S. K. 

Friday, July 22nd, feast of St. Mary Magdalene, 
Mother Caroline died. Her death occurred instantly, 
without any agony. It was so unexpectedly sudden, 
indeed, that Eev. H. Koetting, chancellor of the 



256 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

Archdiocese, who was hastily called from his 
breakfast, in the chaplain's dining-room, scarcely 
found her alive. Her yearning wish to die with 
full consciousness was fulfilled. Early in the 
morning she had expressed her joy over the feast 
of St. Mary Magdalene. Being told that a traveling 
Franciscan was about to say Mass, shortly after 
six o'clock, and would make a memento for her, 
she heartily said, ^-Yergelt's Gott!'' For the last 
time, she had said her night-prayer aloud, the even- 
ing before, with several of the Sisters. At the con- 
clusion, she asked for the holy water, as usual, 
blessed herself and the Sisters standing by, — then 
sprinkled it in every direction, saying : ^'I bless all 
the Sisters ; yes, each and every one.'' During the 
night she suffered excruciating pains, but with full 
consciousness. She prayed almost without inter- 
ruption, offering her pains for the children under 
the Sisters' care. Prayers that she said aloud, 
were addressed to the Divine Infant and His 
Blessed Mother. Again and again she renewed 
her holy vows and exclaimed with greatest fervor, 
^^My Jesus, I am Thine." She spoke of the de- 
parted Sisters, — also of the beauty and necessity of 
peace and concord among her spiritual daughters. 
She again returned special thanks to her nurses, 
saying: ^^God regard you for all your care and 
trouble." Toward four o'clock in the morning, 
she insisted on going to Holy Mass. She said her 
morning prayer with her nurses, and then quietly 
continued her interior devotions. At seven the 
narrator said Mass for her in the Mater Dolorosa 
Chapel. During the Holy Sacrifice, between the 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 257 

Consecration and the Communion^ she expired. As 
the celebrant knelt down^ to recite the prayers 
after Mass, the Most Eev. Archbishop, who was 
about to offer the Holy Sacrifice immediately after, 
informed him of her death. The weeping and 
sobbing of the Sisters and candidates, assembled 
in the chapel, mingled with the mournful tolling of 
the bell above the Adoration Chapel. This bell had 
been destined, more than two months previous, to 
ring, for the first time, at Mother Caroline's 
demise, and thenceforth to serve as a memorial 
bell, as its inscription indicates: Matrem plango. 
(The mother, I mourn.) Filias voco. (The 
daughters, I call.) 

The Most Eev. Archbishop and the Eev. 
Eetreat- master also said Mass for the repose of 
her soul. Thus did the Holy Sacrifice for the 
living and the dead open the portals of a happy 
eternity for her departing soul ; truly, a precious 
and well-deserved grace for her who, alike, in the 
time of health and sickness, evinced the most 
edifying zeal for the Adorable Sacrifice. 

The Sisters' deportment on receiving the painful 
announcement, deserves particular mention. They 
proved themselves worthy daughters of their 
departed Mother. Their sorrow was deep, their 
tears flowed, their hearts bled ; but they were calm 
and composed. The most of them were in retreat. 
Silently they offered their tearful prayers in the 
different chapels of the house. "With the calmness 
and fortitude that breathed the spirit of Mother 
Caroline, they soon continued the exercises of the 
retreat, in preparation for the renewal of their 



258 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

VOWS, or their final profession. There was, indeed, 
something exceedingly consoling about the demise 
of Mother Caroline. With the fullest assurance 
all could say: ^^She is released from her suffer- 
ings .... She has fought a good fight, she has 
finished her course, she has kept the faith .... A 
crown of justice is laid up for her, which the Lord, 
the just Judge will render her.'' Who can doubt 
the salvation of a soul so highly favored, so 
severely tried, and found faithful? Although per- 
forming the duty of charity in offering prayers, 
sacrifices, Holy Communions for the repose of her 
soul, — deep within the heart, each and every one 
feels the assurance that eternal glory is the portion 
of her who died in perfect union with her Divine 
Spouse. 

The news of her death was at once telegraphed 
to all the houses of the Order, and letters, with the 
sad announcement, sent to all the bishops and 
priests in whose dioceses or congregations our 
Sisters are employed. 

The venerable corpse was carefully embalmed, 
and the place for its repose, on the bier, j)repared. 
This was no other than the Adoration Chapel. Kot 
having survived the dedication, she was, at least, 
to have the honor of being laid out in this sacred 
edifice, which, for so many years, had been the 
fond object of her heart's desire, her prayers and 
sacrifices. 

In the course of Friday and Saturday, loving 
hands and artistic taste prepared a mortuary 
chapel of surpassing beauty. 

Saturday evening the corpse was placed on its 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 259 

bed of state, that the Sisters could have it for 
themselves, undisturbed, over Sunday. 

Monday and Tuesday, from 10 A. M. to 6 P. 
M., all were admitted who desired to cast a last, 
loving look upon the earthly remains of the dear 
departed. Thousands came, although the heat was 
so great, during those days, that several fatal sun- 
strokes occurred. Truly, a touching tribute to the 
memory of Mother Caroline ! 

Though beautifully the venerable corpse was 
laid out, the most touching ornament was, after 
all, her plain, little first communion i3icture, which 
she had expressly desired to take with her to the 
grave. The loveliest token, indeed, of her inviola- 
ble fidelity to Him whom she had chosen as her 
Bridegroom on the happy day of her first Holy 
Communion! This little picture Mother Caroline 
always had in her portmanteau, when traveling. 
Numberless times the beautiful prayer on the 
back of it must have inspired her to renew the 
promises made at her first Holy Communion. That 
this prayer may become the common inheritance of 
all the Sisters, we insert a translation. 

Hymn of Thanksgiying after First Holy Communion. 

My Jesus, for the grace bestowed 

On me this happy day, 
The first time at Thy feast of love, 

Be praises Thine for aye. 

May oft this precious food of life 

Give strength anew to me, 
Lest, on the path I weary grow^ 

That leads my soul to Thee. 



260 MOTHER CAROLINE 

Sweet Jesus, to Thy loving care 

Myself I now consign ; 
Yes, all I have and all I am 

Forever shall be Thine, 

Dear Savior, bless me, while I strive 

In grace to persevere. 
To Thee I consecrate my youth 

And all my life's career. 

Oh ! let me not attach my heart 

To things that pass away. 
Be Thou my solace and the balm 

Kach suff 'ring to allay, — 

My life, my hope, my strong defence 

From wily foes' decoy, 
My treasure, science, only IvOve, 

And my eternal joy. 

Oh ! naught from Thee shall part m}^ soul, — 

No labor, want, nor pain. 
In Thee alone I find sweet peace. 

And Heaven's bliss I gain. 

The writer regrets that this deeply significant 
picture, through a mistake of his, was not laid 
upon her heart, in time to be visible on the photo- 
graph of the corpse on its bed of state. 

The funeral service took place at 9 A. M., 
Wednesday, the 27th of July. The coffin was 
carried down stairs from the Adoration Chapel by 
priests, and thence to the convent Chapel by ten 
lay-sisters. The Most Eev. Archbishop celebrated 
the solemn Eequiem, Mgr. Zeininger, V. G., 
assisted as arch-priest ; the Very Eev. Lawrence 
Yorwerk, Provincial of the Capuchins, and Eev. 
Maximilian Neumann, SuiDcrior of the Franciscans 
in Chicago, as deacons of honor ; Eev. H. Koetting 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 261 

and K. G. Beyer (of La Crosse), as deacon and 
subdeacon ; Eev. A. I. Decker and J. J. Keogh, as 
masters of ceremonies. The Et. Eev. Bishops, 
Eupert Seidenbuch, Joseph Eademacher, Joseph H. 
Eichter, John Janssen, Joseph Cotter, James Schwe- 
bach, and about seventy priests, assisted at the 
obsequies. Just before the solemn absolution, the 
Most Eev. Archbishop delivered a sermon, in 
German, and Eev. Benedict K^eithart, C. S.S. E., in 
English. The latter appeared as the representative 
of the Eedemptorists, to whom the School Sisters 
are greatly indebted for the kindly aid extended 
them in founding the first houses of their Congre- 
gation in America. 

The following is a translation of the German 

sermon : 

''Mulierem fortem quis inveniet?" 
**Who shall find a valiant woman?" 

Prov. 31. 10. 

^^Eequiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux 
perpetua luceat eis'' — ^^Grant them eternal rest, 
O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them." 

With this touching and deeply significant 
prayer. Holy Church begins the sacrifice of the 
Mass, which she offers the all-merciful God for the 
faithful departed. Eequiem aeternam etc. — with 
this devout petition I have often begun the Sacred 
Mysteries in the presence of the mortal remains of 
those who slept in the Lord, but seldom — indeed, I 
may say never — have I felt the application of these 
words so deeply as to-day ; for rarely have I stood 
before the bier of a departed friend, who so well 
deserved eternal rest as the lamented Mother 



262 MOTHER CAEOLINE. 

Caroline. With her demise, a life has terminated, 
rich in meritorious works ; a life of uninterrupted 
labors, heavy cares and untold sacrifices ; a life 
that proved a source of unspeakable blessings. 
Yes, Mother Caroline deserves eternal rest. Blessed 
we may, therefore, call her ; her works follow her, 
that she may inherit a glorious kingdom and a 
resplendent crown from the hands of the Lord, such 
as the Book of "Wisdom holds out to the just. 

We may comtemi^late Mother Caroline as a 
woman, as a religious, as spiritual mother of 
thousands of virgins, or, more in particular, as 
superioress of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 
America, — in each of these capacities, we behold 
in her the strong woman whose praise the Holy 
Ghost Himself declares in the question He pro- 
poses : '^Who shall find a valiant woman?'' and, 
answering, recounts the prerogatives of this valiant 
woman. 

Contemplating her person and her works in the 
light of faith, we find Mother Caroline a valiant 
woman. God, in His infinite goodness, had 
endowed her mind and heart with extraordinary 
gifts. Her imjDosing figure, stately, majestic — not 
to say royal — was the mere percei^tible exj^ression 
of her nobility and greatness of soul. She possessed 
an uncommonly clear understanding, a penetrating 
judgment, remarkable will-power, — all these com- 
bined with the most winning goodness of heart, 
unselfish kindness, deep and tender feeling, really 
astonishing prudence in the most tiying circum- 
stances of life. Her heart was full of loving 
sympathy for the sorrows and joys of others. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 263 

Among her other naturally virtuous inclinations, 
let me mention but one that formed a prominent 
and most amiable trait of her character : it is her 
deep feeling of gratitude for the least favor 
bestowed upon herself or her congregation. The 
noblest generosityj too, was stamped upon her 
character. She was a valiant woman, of a manly 
spirit, in the best and most beautiful sense of the 
word. I hesitate not to say she possessed every- 
thing in the character of a man that is an ornament 
to woman as well ; but such manly traits as would 
disfigure the gracefulness of a woman, were far 
from her. Thus had God fitted her, even by her 
natural abilities, for the ofiice of governing, and 
prepared her for the great task of her life. These 
natural prerogatives were certainly not due to her 
own merits, for they were gifts of God ; but her 
merit consisted in fostering and ennobling them by 
her co-operation mth the grace of God, thus giving 
them a higher, supernatural tendency to promote 
the glory of God, the prosperity of her congrega- 
tion, the salvation of American children and the 
welfare of Holy Church in this country. 

Every religious who is faithful to her vocation 
is, in the sublimest sense of the word, a valiant 
woman, whom, with the Holy Spirit, we must 
praise and admire. 

We honor the general whose keen foresight 
devises successful plans, whose armies achieve 
famous and glorious victories, whose courage and 
valor repulse the threatening foe. But what are 
the victories of a military commander, though 
grand they may be, — victories achieved through 



264 Mother caeoline. 

ambitious motives, in the service of an earthly 
kingj — victories gained by blood-shed, at the cost 
of countless lives, — what, indeed, are such victories 
compared with those which a true religious achieves 
for the love of God*? Victories over self, over the 
most dangerous and persistent enemies ; victories 
over the victor himself ; victories whose laurels 
never fade and whose triumphal honors are ever- 
lasting ; victories that cost not the lives of others, 
but rather give life. 

Every faithful religious is a valiant woman ; but 
Mother Caroline was not merely a faithful and con- 
scientious religious, she was a model religious. 
This testimony is given by all that stood in closer 
relation to her and had the opportunity to observe 
her daily life and labors. It is not for me to saj^ 
more on this subject ; but you, her spiritual 
daughters, always looked up to her as your pattern 
in forming yourselves in the religious life. From 
her you have learnt true religious piety, free from 
eccentricity and caprice — a life of genuine virtue. 
. The life of a true religious, as I told you a few 
days ago, when some of your number pronounced 
the final vows, is a perfect holocaust, an uninter- 
rupted sacrifice of herself, her body and soul, her 
understanding and will, all her faculties, all 
external things which others have a right to enjoy ; 
and the fire which consumes this holocaust, is the 
love of God. You all know how great and pure 
and perfect this love of God was in Mother Caro- 
line. You know how unreservedly she offered this 
sacrifice to God, always and in every circumstance 
of her laborious life, particularly during the twelve 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 265 

years of lier physical ailments and the seven 
months of her most painful illness ; you know the 
heroic patience and resignation with which she 
endured her sufferings. From all directions the 
Sisters came to bid a last adieu to their most 
beloved, dying Mother. The final parting from 
each was more painful to her than death, as she 
herself acknowledged, not, indeed, because she was 
inordinately attached to her Sisters, but because, in 
her dying state, she had to witness the deep 
sorrow of her daughters. 

But Mother Caroline was not simply a religious 
that proved herself a valiant woman by faithfully, 
conscientiously observing her vows of poverty, 
chastity, obedience and the education of youth, in 
the most perfect self-sacrifice, — she was superioress 
for more than forty years, was the spiritual mother 
of thousands and thousands of consecrated virgins 
and, as such, too, — yes, precisely as such, she 
proved herself the great, valiant woman — the strong 
woman, to whom, in a spiritual sense, I wish to 
apply the words of Holy Scripture : ^ ^ Woman is 
blessed in giving birth to children." 

Here, in this chapel, on the spot where she lies 
cold and lifeless before us — here she held so many 
religious receptions and professions, through 
which spiritual daughters were born to a higher 
and holier life. More than two thousand of this 
hajDpy number are still living, and laboring for the 
glory of God. 

In 1883, when the School Sisters of Notre Dame, 
celebrated the golden jubilee of their congregation, 
I preached in this chapel. Justly I could then. 



266 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

apply the parable of the Mustard Seed to their 
association. This is, indeed, very small among 
seedSj but sown in the earth, grows up to a large 
tree, whose spreading branches and luxuriant crown 
afford shade and protection to the birds of the air. 
IsTine years, since then, have elapsed, and the tree 
has steadily grown, has multiplied its branches 
and its foliage. God Himself has hereby given 
testimony of the valiant woman ; God Himself 
has visibly blessed the work of Mother Caroline. 

If Mother Caroline was not, from the very 
beginning, the Superior of the School Sisters in 
America, she was ai^pointed to the office before the 
lapse of the first three years, and that at the age of 
twenty- five. It was she who planted this tree in 
the new soil of America; through her care and 
attention it stands in full bloom — such bloom as 
scarcely any other religious congregation enjoys. 

But Mother Caroline, the valiant woman, not 
merely gave spiritual birth to thousands of 
daughters ; she reared them ^^unto justice." Who- 
ever has entered into closer relation with the 
School Sisters of S^otre Dame, from Milwaukee, 
whether as bishop of a diocese, as priest and 
director of a parochial school, or in any other 
capacity, must acknowledge, if, free from prejudice, 
he will give testimony to truth, — that a good spirit, 
the right spirit, the spirit of Mother Caroline, pre- 
vails among the School Sisters of Kotre Dame : the 
spirit of poverty, the spirit of virginal purity, the 
spirit of religious seclusion, the spirit of modesty, 
the spirit of subordination, the spirit of self-sacri- 
fice and self-denial, the spirit of gratitude, — ^the 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 267 

spirit to work and to suffer for God and the welfare 
of children. 

This spirit Mother Caroline herself possessed ; 
with this spirit she inspired her daughters ; this 
spirit she fostered within them, — and this spirit, 
as we hope, she will — from her heavenly abode — 
ever maintain and preserve in her congregation. 
But, notwithstanding this good and genuine 
religious spirit of her community, how valiant 
must have been the woman upon whom the govern- 
ment and direction of two thousand Sisters in 
charge of seventy thousand children, in so many 
different schools, devolved! How valiant, super- 
naturally strong in every respect, must have been 
the woman, who for more than forty years, under 
the most trying circumstances, — in poverty and 
want, joys and sorrows, governed a society of 
virgins engaged in schools of twenty-nine dioceses, 
in seventeen states of the Union, and in Canada ! 
And this office she filled, not only to the full satis- 
faction, but to the admiration of all. Difficulties 
always attend the opening and management of 
parochial schools ; each involves peculiar struggles 
and cares, at the cost of many a sacrifice. Every 
pastor has his own views and ways ; every bishop 
has certain claims, and makes such regulations as 
he deems proper. Every Sister has her own human 
weaknesses, her own troubles and difficulties, her 
sufferings and complaints; and all these are out- 
poured into the heart of her spiritual mother. 
How valiant must, then, be the woman who can 
satisfy all these claims and bear the burden of all 
these cares, — sharing the troubles of all, sympathiz- 



268 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

ing with, all, affording assistance and relief to all! 
Mother Caroline was this valiant woman. The 
Sisters, her spiritual daughters, loved her with a 
love that was prepared for every sacrifice ; pastors 
regarded her as a mother to the lambs of their 
folds ; bishops appreciated her worth, and, do I say- 
too much'? honored her as the valiant woman that 
lightened their pastoral cai'es and lessened the 
weight of their responsibilities. Yes, a woman, 
valiant and strong, was Mother Caroline in the 
position she occupied in the young Church of 
America. She was strong in her zeal, strong in 
her sufferings, strong in her confidence, strong 
in her love for the holy mission appointed her, 
the great work of education in jjarochial schools, 
especially among German Catholics in America. 
At the present time, thanks be to God, there 
are many Catholic parish schools, many religious 
congregations devoted to Christian education — 
to education in parochial schools. But what were 
the prospects fifty years ago, when the little 
colony of School Sisters from Bavaria landed 
in our country^ There were, indeed, sisterhoods 
that educated girls in boarding and convent 
schools ; but I fear little contradiction, if I maintain 
that the Catholic parochial school was then an 
uncultivated field — a primeval forest of America, 
which scarcely any one thought of clearing or 
tilling. — In the sphere of parochial schools. Mother 
Caroline is a pioneer. 

How many privations, sacrifices, labors, cares 
and dangerous travels, attended the opening of 
parochial schools in those early years ! How much 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 269 

prudence^ will-power and confidence in God were 
required in conducting them ! 

Mother Caroline has not only the merit of directing 
hundreds of parochial schools, through her Sisters, 
she has also become a model for other communities. 
S'ot only Milwaukee, in which she established a 
Motherhouse, — not only Wisconsin, but seventeen 
states, twenty-nine dioceses, and many thousands 
of Catholics owe her a debt of undying gratitude. 
Hundreds and thousands are indebted to her for 
their Catholic education, Catnolic spirit. Catholic 
sentiments, Catholic conviction — even their holy 
Catholic Faith, — the preservation of their religion 
in their own hearts, the hearts of their children 
and their children's children! 

If Holy Scripture declares that those who instruct 
others unto justice shall shine as the stars of 
heaven, how glorious a recompense must await 
her, through whose efforts thousands upon thou- 
sands received such instruction, and that in a 
country and at a period in which the general want 
of religious instruction is the cause of so many 
losing their greatest good — the holy Faith. In con- 
clusion, I can in nowise draw a more beautiful and 
faithful likeness of Mother Caroline than by 
quoting from the Book of Proverbs those passages 
in which the Holy Ghost portrays the valiant 
woman : ^^Who shall find a valiant woman? far and 
from the uttermost coasts is the price of her. — • — 
She is like the merchant's ship, she bringeth her 
(spiritual) bread from afar. And she hath risen 
in the night (of education in Catholic schools) and 
given a prey to her household and victuals to her 



270 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

maidens. She hatli considered a field and bought 
it ; with the fruit of her hand she hath planted a 
vineyard. She hath girded her loins with strength 
and hath strengthened her arm. She hath tasted 
and seen that her traffic (vocation) is good ; her 
lamp shall not be put out in the night (of hardships 
and privations). She hath put out her hand on 
strong things and her fingers have taken hold of 
the spindle. She hath opened her hand to the 
needy and stretched out her hands to the poor (in 
a material and a spiritual sense). She shall not 
fear for her house in the cold of snow ; for all her 
domestics are clothed with double garments (of 
knowledge and virtue). She hath made to herself 
clothing of tapestry ; fine linen and purple (pure 
intentions and tact for governing) is her covering. 

Strength and beauty are her clothing ; 

and she shall laugh in the latter day. She hath 
opened her mouth to wisdom, and the law of clem- 
ency is on her tongue. She hath looked well to the 
paths of her house, and hath not eaten her bread 
idle. Her children (spiritual daughters) rose up, 
and called her blessed ; her husband, (her Divine 
Spouse) and he praised her. Many daughters have 
gathered together riches (merits); thou hast sur- 
passed them all. Favor is deceitful, and beauty 
is vain ; the woman that feareth the Lord, she 
shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her 
hands : and let her works praise her in the gates.'' 
Such is the praise the Holy Ghost bestows upon 
the valiant woman ; such the praise of the Holy 
Ghost that we may justly apply to the life and 
labor of the valiant woman whose mortal remains 
lie before us — the departed Mother Caroline. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 271 

From tlie depths of their hearts, many thousands 
in our country who have heard of her death, 
exclaim with grateful emotion : ^^ Grant her eternal 
rest; O Lord!" — ^^Grant her eternal rest!'' thus 
we, too, Bishops and Priests and Sisters have 
prayed ; and this is the petition that shall follow her 
to the grave. Grant her eternal rest, O Lord ! must 
be my parting word, as Bishop of this city and this 
state. Grant her eternal rest, after so many labors, 
so many sacrifices, so many cares and privations, 
so many extraordinary merits due to her zeal for 
the Catholic educatian of youth in this city, this 
province, — in twenty-nine dioceses. Eternal rest, 
after her heaven- blest labors for the glory of God, 
the welfare of children and the sjDread of God's 
Kingdom in America. Grant her eternal rest, and 
let perpetual light shine upon her— Thy light, the 
splendor of Thy eternal glory — Thyself, O Lord, 
the Beatific Vision ! Amen. 



After the Most Eev. Archbishop, Father Neithart 
spoke as follows : — 

'^Beloved of God and of men, whose memory is in 
benediction.'' E)cclesiasticus 45. i. 

Most Eev. Archbishop, Eight Eev. Bishops, Eev. 
Fathers and Eevered Sisters : 
We have assembled from all parts of the country, 
to honor and pray for our esteemed, beloved, 
lamented, departed friend, the great and good 
Mother Caroline^ Superior and Commissary General 
of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in America. 
Ifever before, in my long priestly life, have 
appeared before so many high dignitaries of the 



272 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

Churcli and so many holy religious as at tMs sad, 
solemn funeral. I am asked to preach on this 
occasion, not because I am competent or prepared, 
but because I am a member of the Eedemptorist 
Order whose early Fathers invited Mother Caroline 
and her pioneer companions to America in 1847, 
to take charge of the infant parochial schools of 
the Catholic Church of the United States and 
Canada. 

Abashed and afraid, I feel impelled to exclaim 
with the hum])le prophet Jeremias : ^ ^ What shall I 
say? What shall I answer r' What shall or can I 
say after the true, appropriate, comprehensive 
eulogy which you have just heard from the grateful 
and eloquent lips of your Archbishop? What can I 
say to answer your expectations on the noble 
woman we all revered, loved and admired, perhaps 
more than any other woman in America? It is 
neither a general custom of the Catholic Church, 
nor a precept of her ritual, missal or breviary, to 
preach funeral sermons over her highest or 
humblest children. The Church counsels and 
urges us ' ^to pray for the dead, that they may be 
loosed from their sins," and that ^^God may grant 
them eternal rest, and let perpetual light shine 
ui3on them." But nowhere does she command or 
even advise us to preach at any funeral of king or 
queen, saint or sinner. Every Catholic church is a 
House of God and prayer : here we should preach 
the Word of God and sound the praises of God, 
but not the praises of mortal man or woman ; in 
this Honse of Prayer we should pray for the living 
and the dead. 



MOTHER CAEOLINE. 273 

Yet I feel justified in making an exception 
to-day, for I know that God and Holy Cliurch will 
sanction the departure, not only because IVtother 
Caroline was an exceptional and unique woman, but 
because the Holy Ghost Himself permits and urges 
me in the Inspired Eecord to praise the saints and 
servants of God, and render to all men (and 
women) their dues, be it tribute, fear, or honor, 
even in the assembly of the saints. God has said : 
^ 'Honor thy mother all the days of thy life'' and 
^ ^Cursed be he that honoreth not his father or 
mother." Jesus, our Divine Master and model, 
praised publicly his Immaculate Mother, as well as 
the Prophet Elias, John the Baptist, the Canaanite 
woman and the centurion of Caphernaum. He 
eulogized his dead friend Lazarus, and wept at his 
tomb, so that the Jews remarked: ^'Behold, how 
he loved him!" 

The inspired author of Ecclesiasticus, after 
warning us ^^to praise no man before his death," 
devotes the seven closing chapters of his book to a 
detailed eulogy of his fore-fathers in the faith of 
all the saintly patriarchs and prophets, priests and 
kings, from Adam, Seth and Enos down to Zoro- 
babel, Nehemias and the high priest Simon. Permit 
me to quote and emphasize those passages of this 
lengthy panegyric which may be fitly and truly 
applied to the character, life and services of our 
revered and lamented friend, Mother Caroline, by 
merely substituting in our mind the female for the 
male sex. 

^^Let us praise men (and women) of renown and 
our :*'athers (and spiritual mothers) in their genera- 



274 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

tion. They were men of mercy whose godly deeds 
have not failed. Good things continue with their 
seed ; their posterity is a holy inheritance. Moses 
(Mother Caroline) was beloved of God and of men, 
whose memory is in benediction. He sanctified him 
(her) out of all flesh,'' ^ To our lamented friend may 
also be applied those words of Proverbs, (Chapter 
31) which Holy Church repeats at Mass in praise of 
sainted women : ^^Who shall find a lyaliant woman'? 
She hath opened her hands to the needy and 
stretched out her hands to the poor. Strength and 
beauty are her clothing. She hath opened her 
mouth to wisdom^ and the law of clemency is on her 
tongue. 

She hath looked well to the paths of h-er house^ 
and hath not eaten her bread idle. Her children 
rose up and called her blessed. Many daughters 
have gathered (spiritual) riches, but thou hast 
surpassed them all. Favor is deceitful, and beauty 
is vain ; but the woman that feareth God shall be 
praised! Give her the fruits of her hand, and let 
her works praise her in the gates.'' As the high 
priest Joachim and the people of Bethulia 
welcomed the chaste and valiant Judith, their 
deliverer from Holofornes, so we, too, can fitly 
address Mother Caroline: ^*Thou art the glory of 
Jerusalem, thou art the joy of Israel, thou art the 
power of our people'' — thou art the glory of this 
city, thou art the joy of this country, thou art the 
pride of thy sex, thou art the honor, stay and 
comfort of all thy spiritual daughters. 

As it is impossible, as well as superfluous, for 
me to remind you, the life-long friends and 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 275 

admirers of the deceased, of all her noble and 
glorious services, I will confine myself to a few 
facts and characteristics which seem to be of 
special interest or edification. Without setting 
much value on the accidents of birth, family, 
country and the like, I deem it proper to state 
that Mother Caroline, whose family name was 
Marie Josephine Friess, was born at Paris, August 
21st, 1824, that her father was a German, and her 
mother the daughter of Chapoulard, an officer in 
the armies of the great Napoleon. When but four 
years old, she moved with her parents to Bavaria, 
and was educated at Donauwoerth, Ingolstadt and 
Eichstaedt. At the early age of 16 years she joined 
the infant Order of IsTotre Dame. When 23 years 
old, she was sent, in 1847, with the pioneer colony 
of the Order to the United States. The first Sisters 
were invited by the Eedemptorist Fathers of Balti- 
more. On the journey to St. Mary's colony in 
Western Pennsylvania, one of the five pioneer 
Sisters took sick and died. Mother General Theresa 
returned in 1848 to Europe, leaving Mother Caro- 
line in charge of the newly founded schools at St. 
Mary's, Baltimore and Pittsburg. In 1850 Bishop 
Henni invited the Sisters to Milwaukee, which has 
since become the chief center of the Order in 
America. The tiny mustard seed has meanwhile 
grown up and expanded over the United States 
and Canada, numbering to-day in America no less 
than 200 convents and 2000 Sisters in charge of 
about 70,000 pupils. At the time of her lamented 
death Mother Caroline was nearly 68 years old. 
and had been 52 years in the Order, 45 years in 



276 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

America, and 42 years superior of the Sisters. She 
was tall and majestic in figure, queenly in de- 
meanor, handsome of feature, manly of mind and 
will-power, but womanly and motherly in heart. 
I knew the noble woman and her humble, pious, 
laborious daughters since 1855, and have never met 
religious superior to them in Catholic parochial 
schools. 

Loathe to trust my own impressions and recol- 
lections of Mother Caroline, I prefer to appeal to 
others and ask as our Savior once asked : What do 
men say of me'? What have men of all classes — 
religious, priests, bishops and archbishops said of 
Mother Caroline^ Yesterday and to-day, as well 
as ten, twenty and thirty-five years ago, I have 
heard men say, everywhere: ^^What an able, 
extraordinary, magnetic, wonderful woman! She 
has done wonders for religion, convents and 
parochial schools in America. To this day her 
sisters and her schools stand in the front rank. 
There is not a woman in America or, perhaps, 
in the world, that is so well and favorably known 
as Mother Caroline, or that has exerted so much 
influence and done so much good for religion and 
education.'' 

Ask those who know her best and longest, and 
you will find that these are loudest in praise of the 
woman, the religious and the superioress. An 
English proverb says : "l^o man is a hero in the 
eyes of his valet,'' not even Hannibal, Alexander, 
Caesar or Napoleon the Great. Mother Caroline 
has admitted, professed, trained and governed 
thousands of women for nearly half a century. 



MOTHER CAROLINE 277 

"Women may be kind and blind to the faults of 
men; but they are usually keen-witted and lynx- 
eyed in diagnosing the character and imperfections 
of persons of their own sex, even of their superiors 
in office. And yet here comes in the marvel about 
this wonderful woman. In the grand chorus of 
eulogy, I have never yet heard a discordant voice 
among the Sisters of Notre Dame. They, more 
than all others, began to love, admire, follow, 
imitate and praise her at the first meeting, and 
they have not ceased to this hour. In their eyes 
Mother Caroline has ever been the ablest and 
kindest superior, the wisest woman, the greatest 
genius, the best model, the most perfect human 
being they ever met. From first to last, she 
appeared to each one of them, the eldest as well as 
the youngest, a walking saint, a paragon of every 
human perfection. I often thought within myself : 
That unique woman must have charmed or mag- 
netized you all. 

It cannot be denied that there is nothing perfect 
or faultless in man or woman. Jesus says : 'No man 
is good or perfect, but God alone. If the canonized 
saints had their imperfections, Mother Caroline, 
too, had her faults. I have several times heard 
it said: ^ ^Mother Caroline is overrated by some; 
she is not so obliging as others pretend ; she some- 
times refuses favors ; she is old-fashioned, too, and 
does not keep up with the progress of Young 
America." All this may be true and yet not 
disparage her character or motives. In this wicked 
and wily world we must sometimes be cautious, 
and ^^unite the prudence of the serpent with the 



278 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

simplicity of the dove'', as our Savior warns us. 
To grant all favors might be impossible, or im- 
prudent, or harmful to religious discipline, or 
opposed to the letter or spirit of the holy rule, 
which every religious superior is bound under oath 
to observe and enforce. Mother Caroline was, 
indeed, conservative and, perhaps, old-fashioned 
in her ways and views. The Catholic Church is 
the same, not only in her dogmas, but also in her 
discipline. If our Savior reappeared among us, 
some liberal Christians would likely call Him old- 
fashioned, too. We cannot in conscience follow the 
dangerous or suspicious fashions or innovations of 
the world; for Jesus says, ^^Woe to the world," 
and the Apostle St. John adds: ^^Love not the 
world, nor the things which are in the world. All 
that is in the world is concupiscence of the eyes, 
lust of the flesh and pride of life.'' All honor, 
then, to Mother Caroline and her spiritual 
daughters, if they are and remain unworldly and 
old-fashioned in the true Catholic sense of the word ! 
I will now conclude, lest I detain and weary you 
too long in this excessive heat. Dear Mother 
('aroline strove to be faithful to God, conscience 
and duty, and just to all her religious and fellow- 
men. She was pre-eminently charitable, generous, 
patient, obliging, forbearing and forgiving. She 
tried to bear the burdens of all her subjects, to 
guide, encourage and console all that needed help 
or counsel ; to forgive every injury and insult, to 
excuse every blunder or short-coming. The Eter- 
nal Judge has said to her, or will soon say to her : 
^^You have believed and hoped in me; you have 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 279 

loved and served me and mine ; you nave not 
judged or condemned others, neither will I judge 
or condemn you ; you have been just, generous and 
merciful to others, and I will be generous and 
merciful to you. ^^Well done, and welcome, thou 
good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the 
Lord.'' May our life, death and reward be like 
unto hers. ^ ^Eternal rest grant her, O Lord, and let 
perpetual light shine upon her. Amen.'' 



At one o'clock the funeral cortege slowly began 
to wend its way toward Elm Grove. Amid the 
tolling of the convent bells, the Sisters bore their 
beloved Mother, between the long files of her 
praying and weeping daughters, to the garden gate 
on Jefferson Street, where the hearse stood waiting, 
and carriages for the Archbishop, three Bishops, 
about thirty Priests and eighty Sisters, who paid 
their last tribute of love and veneration to the 
dear departed by following her earthly remains to 
their final resting place, about ten miles distant. 
Towards half past three, the funeral reached Elm 
Grove. In church, the coffin was opened once 
more, to allow the Sisters of Elm Grove and the 
people of the parish a last loving look upon those 
dear features which, in spite of the intense heat 
and long drive, were well preserved. 

The Et. Eev. Jos. Eademacher, Bishop of I^ash- 
ville, Tenn., for many years a kind friend of the 
dear departed, pronounced the absolution, and led 
the procession to the cemetery. The venerable 
remains of dear Mother Caroline were interred in 
the spot which she had destined for herself, long 



280 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

years before, between Yen. Mother SerapMna and 
Yen. Sister Emmanuela, amidst the long rows of 
Sisters who had gone on before their beloved 
Mother. 

Not only in Milwankee, but all over our country, 
the death of Mother Caroline awakened the deepest 
sympathy. Cardinal Gibbons, many archbishops, 
bishops and priests, as also the superiors of 
religious communities sent letters of condolence to 
the bereaved congregation, giving expression to 
their veneration for the dear departed. 

In some churches three solemn Eequiems were 
held during the week or fortnight after her demise. 
Several priests announced a Eequiem to be held 
in their churches every month for a whole year. 
Many parishioners and societies offered Holy Com- 
munion, in a body, for the repose of her soul. 
Children made collections of their saving-pence to 
have Holy Masses said. The narrator received 
more than a hundred letters, giving accounts of the 
most touching demonstrations of grateful love and 
veneration for the dear departed. Many moved 
him so deeply that he could not refrain from tears. 
To give but one instance : The Yery Eev. Michael 
Hurley, Yicar General of the diocese of Peoria, 
had not ventured to say Mass for five months, on 
account of a stroke of paralysis. This kind patron 
of the School Sisters being informed of Mother 
Caroline's death, cried out weeping, ^'Now I shall 
wait no longer, but make an attempt to say Mass. 
The first shall be for Mother Caroline, on her 
burial day.'' 

^^It was, indeed a great exertion for him,'' adds 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 281 

the Sister, who wrote this account, ^^but, with the 
aid of another priest, he succeeded." Panegyrics 
upon the dear departed were pronounced in many 
places. The press, ecclesiastical and secular, 
extolled the life and labors, the talents and virtues 
of Mother Caroline. All acknowledged that one 
of the greatest and best women of our times had 
closed a career of unspeakable blessings for Holy 
Church and our beloved country. 



RETROSPECT AND CONCLUSION. 

The writer is about to conclude his work. How 
defective his sketch of Mother Caroline's life and 
character is, no one knows better than himself. 
Truly, it would have required a master's hand to 
do justice to a masterpiece of nature and grace, 
such as Mother Caroline. Had he not enjoyed the 
advantage, from observations made in the course of 
sixteen years, to know Mother Caroline better, 
most probably, than any one else, he would not 
have undertaken the work. The consciousness of 
having endeavored to produce a correct and faith- 
ful sketch of her life, could alone induce him to 
have it published. 

Looking back upon the blessed career of the 
dear departed, the bright figure of a highly gifted, 
fair and happy child first attracts our attention. 
Under the visible protection of Heaven, the child 
blooms into a promising, pure and pious maiden. 
True, the brightness of her extraordinary endow- 
ments is dimmed, for a time, by violent and 
dangerous passions. Her providential educator, 



282 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

however^ succeeds in removing these shades, and 
at the age of sixteen the silent cloister- walls seclude 
a virgin whom God has destined for great things. 

With all the energy and depth of her nature, she 
embraces her holy vocation. In the school of 
sufferings her character is steeled ; her virtue, 
tried. Scarcely seven years have elapsed, and she 
stands on the soil of the l^ew World, a heroic 
missionary, prepared for every sacrifice, every 
laborious undertaking. Her extraordinary effi- 
ciency is favorably regarded, and the future of her 
congregation, obscured by gloomy cares, is laid 
entirely into her youthful hands. With courage 
and prudence, she conscientiously avails herself of 
every assistance, human and divine, that she can 
obtain, and begins her work. For more than forty 
years, she pursues it steadily and faithfully. 
Adversity daunts not her courage ; prosperity does 
not elate her. Her great heart encompasses an 
entire country in its holiest and weightiest needs. 
With the eye of faith, she ever looks on high, 
whence all blessings proceed. Her mind is not 
occupied with lowly things of earth. ^^I have 
meant well — I have worked for God," is her 
solemn declaration on her death- bed. 

By her stately figure, her brilliant endowments 
of mind and heart, her refined and amiable 
manners, her cheerful spirit, — still more by her 
burning love of God and neighbor, her enlightened 
piety, her inviolable fidelity to her vocation, her 
apostolic zeal for the salvation of souls, her 
admirable love of labor and sufferings, — she 
becomes an object of the love and veneration of 
many thousands. 



MOTHER CAROLINE. 283 

Her own elevated spirit she infuses into her 
daughters. It is her unceasing endeavor to train 
them as true and genuine religious, — pious, faithful 
and zealous. With her and after her, they are to 
labor for God, for Holy Church, — for Catholic 
youth. As teachers, they are to be thoroughly 
educated, even in the highest branches of female 
learning, — not, indeed, for vain display, but for 
solid usefulness. Even to her latest breath, it is 
her declared will, her solemn injunction, that the 
School Sisters, ever remaining faithful to their 
providential vocation, shall, above all, devote 
themselves to the education of children in parochial 
schools and orphanages. 

^'The greatest good for the greatest number," is 
her principle, as Catholic as it is American. 

The beautiful life of the dear lamented finds a 
worthy close. Her work is accomplished ; her life- 
task, fufilled. She has her plans for the future of 
her congregation ; calmly she makes her provisions 
and consigns them to her daughters, in her own 
hand-writing. 

The perfection of her active life receives its last 
finishing touches in the long, weary months of her 
sickness. Had death snatched her suddenly, or 
had she endured her pains with but ordinary 
Christian resignation, the most beautiful features 
of her portrait would be wanting. On the crimson 
background of her sufferings, however, her noble 
figure appears so elevated, truly great and majestic, 
that the beholder deeply moved, exclaims with 
admiration: ^'Mother Caroline was a highly 
favored soul!" In the ordeal of sufferings she 
proved her true greatness. 



284 MOTHER CAROLINE. 

She has gone to her eternal home — this valiant 
woman, the pride and the glory of her daughters. 
Long, long shall her name retain its magic sound ; 
her picture shall never fade from the memory of 
those who knew and loved her. May her spirit 
continue to live in her congregation — the grand work 
of her life ! Only then shall the School Sisters prove 
themselves worthy daughters of their great Mother, 
if they continue to be religious and teachers 
according to her spirit ; only then shall they carry 
on and extend their heaven-blest work with ever 
increasing strength, to promote the glory of God, 
the welfare of mankind, and their own true happi- 
ness in time and eternity. — God grant it! 



285 
INDEX. 

Page- 

Introduction 3 

The Author's Preface to the Translation 19 

PART FIRST. 

From her Birth to her Entrance into the Convent. 

1824 — 1840. 

1. Birth and Karliest Childhood in Paris 21 

2. Happy Years of Childhood in Donauwoerth, Her 

Uncle and Grandmother 24 

3. Serious Dangers of Death. A Daring Boat-ride... 31 

4. A Pious Custom in Suabia and its Lasting Im- 

pression 35 

5. Happy years of Childhood at Ingolstadt. Josepha 

Attends a Convent School. Her First Confession. 37 

6. Remaining Years of Childhood Spent at Eich- 

staedt. Josepha a Pupil of Benedictine Nuns. 
First Holy Communion. Thoughts of her Voca- 
tion. Confirmation 41 

7. Development of Josepha's Vocation. Preparatory 

Training 47 

B. Choosing a Religious Order. Resolves upon Enter- 
ing the Congregation of the School Sisters of 

Notre Dame 57 

9. Departure from Eichstaedt. At the Tomb of 

Bishop Wittmann. Entrance into the Convent. 61 

PART SECOND. 

From her Entrance into the Convent to her Departure for 
America. 1840 — 1847. 

1. The Candidate 63 

2. The Novice 70 

3. The Sister 75 

PART THIRD. 

Sister Caroline Departs for America (1847)— Receives her 

Appointment as Mother Vicar (1850). 

1. Preparations for the Journey to America 79 

2. Sister Caroline's Departure for America. Painful 

Leave-taking from her Mother 83 



286 INDEX. 

3. Arrival in America. The First Sacrifice. Beath 

of Sister Bmmanuela, Attendant of Mother 
Theresa 88 

4. St. Mary's. Sister Caroline Opens the First 

School of the Sisters in America 93 

5. Sister Caroline F^stablishing Schools 98 

6. Sister Caroline's First Voyage to Europe in the 

Interests of the American Missions 105 

7. In Munich. Received with Mistrust. Honored 

with the Appointment of Mother Vicar on 
Returning to America 108 

8. The Journey to Milwaukee iii 

PART FOURTH. 

From her Arrival in Milwaukee to her Happy Death. 
1850 — 1892. 

1. Small Beginnings under Great Difficulties. Mother 

Caroline Receives her First Candidate in the 
West 114 

2. Opening of our First School in Wisconsin. Mother 

Caroline Teacher at St. Mary's 121 

3. Uncommon Difficulties in Milwaukee. Mother 

Caroline Kqual to the Occasion 128 

4. Founding of the Motherhouse, Day School, St. 

Mary's Institute, and the Aspirants' Department. 
Mother Caroline in Relation to Institutes and 
Parochial Schools. She gives her Congregation 
the Character of a Missionary Order. Schools 
for Boys 136 

5. Faithful Assistance. Father Urbanek. Father 

Krautbauer. Dr. Salzmann and Others 144 

6. The Motherhouse Chapel. Chapel of Perpetual 

Adoration. Mother Caroline's Zeal for the 
House of God 150 

7. Mother Caroline's Unremitting I^abors and their 

Blessed Results 159 

8. Wearisome and Dangerous Travels. The Catas- 

trophe on the Mississippi, June 13th, 1858 165 



INDEX. 287 

9. Mother Caroline in her Relation to the Bishops 

and Priests of our Country 184 

10. Mother Caroline as Superioress and Mother 189 

11. Mother Caroline's Illness. Returns from New 

Orleans, January 9th. Receives Extreme Unc- 
tion, February 7th 204 

12. Her Illness — Continuation. Mother Caroline's 

Perfect Resignation to the Will of God and the 
Sources thereof 216 

13. Her Illness — Continuation according to the 

Writer's Diary..- 222 

14. Mother Caroline's Death and Burial. Funeral 

Sermons of the Most Rev. Archbishop and the 

Rev. Benedict Neithart, C. S.S. R .- 255 

Retrospect and Conclusion 281 







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